The Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (Comsats), Embassy of France and Alliance Francaise inked a MoU of partnership to launch 'French Online Distance Learning Programme' in Comsats' member countries.
The objective of the event was to apprise the diplomatic community of the Comsats' key activities, programmes and projects, and later, the ongoing 'French Online Distance Learning Programme', which is a joint venture of Alliance Francaise, Comsats and Allama Iqbal Open University, supported by the Embassy of France.
H E Pierre Charasse, Ambassador of France welcomed the honourable guests and said that the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) play an important role in linking any country with the outside world.
He said the gap between the countries in the North and the South is greater than ever and ICTs have the potential to promote development through contribution in the eradication of poverty, achievement of primary education and environmental sustainability.
The French envoy said that one very important application of ICTs is the learning of foreign languages. He quoted that according to Unesco, access to international languages has become a 'right', which can be used as an instrument of development.
Later, Dr Hameed Ahmed Khan, Executive Director Comsats, while addressing the gathering briefly outlined key initiatives of Comsats in its member countries and urged other members to take full advantage of the commission's' facilitative platform.
He associated great value with the current collaboration between the Comsats and French Embassy regarding the 'French Online Distance Learning Programme' and hoped that this partnership would flourish with time.
Tajjamul Hussain, Comsats Director International Affairs, who gave an elaborate presentation on the subject, discussed Comsats activities and programmes in detail.
Explaining the features of French learning programme, Dr Ouafae Sananes, Project Co-ordinator, Embassy of France, said that this comprehensive distance learning programme covers all aspects of language learning.
Comprehension of spoken and written French is developed via Internet, which ensures a distance learning facility to students and professionals seeking to learn French language for career growth.
She said that currently more than 600 learners have been enrolled in the programme, while the target for 2004 is approximately 1,000.
The project has also recently been extended to cater to the remote areas of Northern Pakistan, where a pilot class of more than 15 students have already started to benefit from this facility.