France Starts Pilot Program to Teach Romanian Language

France has recently begun a pilot program to teach Romanian as a foreign language in its public pre-university schools. The program will start in a collège middle school in Blanc-Mesnil, near Paris, and aims to gradually expand. It marks an important step toward including more regional or immigrant languages in French schools and recognizing the cultural diversity of its student population.

Why France is introducing Romanian lessons in Collège Aimé et Eugénie Cotton

The town of Blanc-Mesnil has many students whose families speak Romanian at home. The French Ministry of National Education decided it made sense to start the pilot there. By introducing Romanian as a mandatory foreign language , the program hopes to help these students connect better with their heritage language, improve their school performance, and feel more included in the school community.

Partnering with the Romanian Embassy and local authorities, officials chose this school because of its existing Romanian-speaker population. This pilot is not just a one-year experiment. It will run for multiple years. It begins with students in collège in Blanc-Mesnil, but the goal is to build the Romanian course up through to classe de terminale . Over time, the number of students taking Romanian should grow gradually.

What benefits the program offers to students and communities

For students of Romanian origin, being taught their home language in school can be very empowering. It helps with self-esteem, identity, and also may support their learning of other subjects. Research shows bilingual or multilingual students often perform better when they are allowed to use or maintain their first language.

The program also helps non-Romanian students by exposing them to a new language, broadening cultural awareness, and improving linguistic skills. Communities benefit when children feel seen and respected in their schooling. Additionally, it promotes better integration for immigrant families and strengthens ties between France and Romania.

Potential challenges in expanding Romanian language teaching in France

Even though the idea has wide appeal, the pilot faces several challenges. First, finding enough qualified Romanian teachers is hard. Teachers need both good language skills and solid training in teaching the language to non-native speakers. Second, resources are necessary: textbooks, learning materials, and curriculum frameworks must be developed. Third, schools must adjust timetables, because adding another mandatory foreign language class means balancing time among other subjects.

Another challenge is student interest. While students of Romanian origin may welcome the course, others might choose different foreign languages. The program’s success depends on whether schools can motivate students to choose Romanian, keep them engaged, and ensure that the class quality remains high. Also, northern suburbs like Blanc-Mesnil may differ from rural or other urban areas, so scaling up across all of France will require adaptation to local needs.

How this pilot could shape France’s future language education policy

If this pilot succeeds, it could influence language education across France. It may lead to Romanian being offered in more schools, possibly becoming a standard foreign language option in certain departments. It might also encourage the inclusion of other immigrant or neighboring country languages as part of formal foreign language curricula.

This fits into broader trends in Europe where countries are increasingly recognizing the value of multilingualism—not only global languages like English, Spanish, or Chinese, but also regional and immigrant languages. It could lead to reforms in teacher training programs, more flexible foreign language requirements, and greater collaboration with embassies and cultural institutions for language support.

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