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THE French School of Bahrain, also known as Lycée Français MLF de Bahreïn, is undergoing a significant revamp this summer, with a BD2m expansion project aiming to bring some je ne sais quoi to its thriving Busaiteen location.
One of the most pivotal moments in French history was the Revolution from 1789 to 1799 and an educational one is now taking shape far from the homeland.
The development will include new classrooms while upgrading the current ones, and new IT and educational equipment in each class. There will be state-of-the-art science labs, plus music and art rooms.
Head teacher Christian Chale said: “The planning of the school expansion started in 2013 and was approved by the Ministry of Education in 2016. Construction of the various elements of the expansion are currently nearing completion and we expect the works to be fully completed by next month.
“Furthermore, a new gymnasium is also expected to be built in the summer, which will take approximately four months to complete.”
Another change, in line with a growing number of schools in the kingdom, is that students in secondary school are now using tablets as a learning aid and have already replaced many of the textbooks used in lessons. Although, unlike some, the expensive equipment is being provided by the school.
The current building has been completely renovated and refurbished as part of the overall expansion programme. The new classrooms are equipped with modern elements including electronic boards, while some of the portable buildings that are currently being used for classes will be demolished.
The existing centre will continue to house kindergarten and primary school, whilst the new development, which is located just opposite the current building, will cater for the senior pupils.
The school was founded in 1976 as a means of catering to the small French community in the kingdom at the time. Starting from a small villa in Salmaniya, the well-respected learning establishment, in which French, Arabic and the English language is spoken by many of its pupils, has become one of the main institutions on the island.
It caters to 700 students comprising 56 different nationalities, and follows the French curriculum from kindergarten through to the final year of high school. It was initially founded under the auspices of the French Government Department of Education but is now managed directly by the Mission Laïque Française, which is a non-profit organisation which works to spread the French language and culture by creating and running schools outside France.
Christian, who has been in Bahrain for four years and has been a head teacher for 15 years including stints in his native France and Lebanon, is very happy to call the kingdom his home and believes the future is very bright for the French community.
He explained: “Living and working in Bahrain has been a wonderful experience and the people have been very welcoming.
“The French community is thriving, and with the school being extremely accessible we hope to see it grow now that we have a true top-class facility ready to launch.”
