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Advanced English Language Conversation group at the Lycee Moderne INAGOHI (Photo: DPAO Anna Maria Adamo/US Embassy)

U.S. Embassy English Language Microscholarship program in San Pedro

Abidjan Deputy Public Affairs Officer (DPAO) Anna Maria Adamo paid a site visit to the Embassy’s English Language Microscholarship program in San Pedro October 7-8. The two-year after-school program, launched in July, 2009, aims to give highly motivated Ivorian English language students aged 14-18 additional English language opportunities outside of their regular high school language classes. 45 students are now enrolled in the program.

Participating students meet Wednesdays and Saturdays in a spacious English language classroom provided by the Lycee Moderne INAGOHI, San Pedro’s largest public school (5,000 students). Twice a month the students meet at  the San Pedro headquarters of Ameritech,  the English language school which carries out the training. Once at Ameritech, students  are able to work in its language laboratory and take advantage of Ameritech’s large collection of English language books and films.

During her visit, the DPAO joined students in a conversation class, then  moved on to other classrooms where she was able to observe students participating in a guided discussion that followed a  short film, looked in on students working in the language lab and observed others who were working on reading comprehension exercises. 

The original 24  student enrollment has been nearly doubled thanks to the generous contributions of local partners.  When the program opened in July, STBS, a San Pedro-based timber company, contributed five scholarships and Ameritech donated one, boosting the initial  number of scholarships to 30. 

While in San Pedro DPAO met with representatives of the local Rotary Club and learned that the Rotary Foundation will donate 15 scholarships to the program in fiscal year 2009 boosting the current enrollment to 45 students.  Rotary also plans to grant 35 additional scholarships in July, 2010 with the possibility of additional scholarships in the future.