Novopolotsk schoolchildren can obtain a state diploma from France certifying their knowledge of the French language

June 9, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. Graduates of the bilingual section of the Novopolotsk Gymnasium will be able to receive a state diploma from France for advanced knowledge of the French language along with their certificates. An agreement to this effect has been signed between the French Embassy in Belarus, the education department of the Novopolotsk City Executive Committee, and the gymnasium, Svetlana Drozdova, head of the education department of the Novopolotsk City Executive Committee, told a BELTA correspondent. Classes in the bilingual section will begin with the new academic year. For four years, schoolchildren will not only study the language of Stendhal and Balzac in depth according to French educational programs but will also learn about the history and geography of this country in French. Entrance and final exams will be administered by embassy staff and embassy teachers. The second language for in-depth study will be one of the state languages of Belarus - Belarusian or Russian. All 13 applicants, graduates of the 7th grades of Novopolotsk schools, successfully passed the first competitive test. They have already been enrolled in the section. As Svetlana Drozdova noted, holding the diploma will allow young men and women from Novopolotsk to continue their education at any French university without taking a language test, which is mandatory for foreign applicants. The French Embassy provided methodological assistance in organizing the bilingual section for the residents of Novopolotsk. Novopolotsk became the first city of regional subordination where a bilingual section was opened with the support of the French Embassy. Previously, only one such section was established in Minsk and regional centers. French is taught in 30% of the schools in the oil city. About 6% of Novopolotsk schoolchildren study it as part of the school curriculum, while the average for Belarus is 4%. Among Novopolotsk's twin cities are French ones - Givors, Chauffailles. -0-