Sophia: the battle lead by the international education

The ASEICA (association for the support of the international education on the French Riviera) is launching a communication campaign in favor of the development of primary bilingual international sections.

One of the problems Sophia Antipolis encounters today is a lack of places in schools. Not only in schools for engineers, but also in primary bilingual schools. The Sartoux primary school, which offers the only available structure for an international bilingual education has been overcrowded for years. This explains why since the beginning of the year 2000, the international community of the French Riviera mobilized for the opening of new classes in order to meet the demand of a great deal of foreign people who work in Sophia Antipolis.A new class for the start of the new school yearThe ASEICA has launched a wide campaign of information about the actions it has lead for several months in order to increase the capacity of reception for French and foreign children, who wish to begin or to continue a bilingual schooling.'Today, the only available structure for primary international education is a section (semi-public, semi-private) that is at Ecole Elémentaire Sartoux (Valbonne school in Sophia Antipolis)', the association explains in a release. 'The teaching is in French for 50% of the school time (by a National Education teacher) and the rest of the time, the teaching is in English (with an English teacher who is dependent on the ASEICA, the association which manages the whole primary and secondary English-speaking education. The families financially support the payment of the English-speaking part, but which is however reasonable in comparison with a totally private school.' 'The primary section is now composed by 4 classes of about 25 pupils. The applications to the section increase every year, because of the expansion of the Sophia Antipolis park. But the possibilities to welcome the children do not evolve.A new section in Mougins-Le-Haut has been plannedThe several mails regularly sent to the Education Offices by the union of pupil parents to ask a new form never received an answer. So, the parents decided to receive the support of political and economical key-figures of the region to make their action more efficient.'The ASEICA lead several actions during the six past months and it obtained the support of Sophia big firms and made new demands to the institutions.As a first result, it obtained the opening of a new class for the start of the new school year, subject to a confirmation by the Comité Technique Paritaire which will meet on September 12th. But the association does not loose pressure. ' It is obvious that a lot of things have to be made in the months to come to settle in Sophia Antipolis a structure of international education that would correspond to what the park needs.'That is why the association is in relation with Mougins town council to plan the opening of a new international section composed by 5 clases in 2002 in the new Mougins-le-Haut school. That would permit to put at people of the French Riviera disposal and to the disposal of foreign people working in Sophia Antipolis enough places to meet an increasing demand of bilingual international education.Contacts and informationFor any help you could give or any information you would know, you can contact the following e-mails:-Françoise Rolland -Labbe: fandjfrolland@compuserve.com-Laure Rigoudy: the rigoudys@compuserve.com(pupil parents)-jean-Pierre Boespflug, Société I.I.M.: jp@caventures.com(firm delegate)