MAHE: After a gap of four decades, the first two ranks in ‘Brevet Elementaire de Francais’ examination (equivalent to the SSLC) of Puducherry have come to Mahe, the enclave of the Union Territory in Kerala. Muhammed Shahin and Muhammed Isham of ‘Ecole Centrale et Cours Complémentaire, Mahé’ (Government French medium high school, Mahe), one of the only four government-run French medium schools in India, won the first and second ranks respectively. Both the students hail from Azhiyur in Kozhikode.
Brevet Elementaire de Francais examination is conducted by the French language division of Puducherry education department and 112 students appeared for the exam this year. Mahe had got a first rank in the exam earlier in 1975.
First rank-holder Shahin joined the French medium from eighth standard whereas Isham is learning French from first standard onwards. Both scored 449 and 440 marks respectively out of 500. There a total of 18 subjects for the exam. “Learning French was a challenging task and I am happy with the results,” said Shahin, son of Najeeb who works in Vigilance department of Kerala.
Muhammed Isham
Shahin is planning to do BA French after his higher secondary classes. Isham is the son of Nasar, who is running a textile shop at Azhiyur. Both students are joining at JNHSS, Mahe, for Plus- Two as the school offers French as second language.
The Mahe Government French medium high school, started in 1805, also made impressive performance by scoring 100 percent victory for the eighth consecutive year. This time, a total of 10 students wrote the tenth standard (Brevet Superieur) exam from the school.
School Headmaster (Directeur) Uthama Raj said that more number of students were enrolling in the school in recent years. “Three years back we had roughly 40 students from first to tenth standards. However, now we have nearly hundred students, which is more than double. Those from Mahe and Kerala are taking keen interest in studying in French medium because the proficiency in the language offers one a wide range of opportunities,” he said.
