The first ever Modern Language extravaganza held at the Grenada Boys Secondary School on Friday, involving two hundred and fifty students and 20 teachers from sixteen secondary schools on the mainland.
It required each school to portray one or two items in dance, poetry or song in either French or Spanish.
It also entailed General Knowledge questions from which students had to select one.
The extravaganza was conceptualized by the Ministry of Education, as a result of a decline in student’s performances at the CXC level in French and Spanish.
One student from the H appy Hill Secondary School told GBN on Friday learning the foreign languages are important, as it will not only help in communicating with French and Spanish Caribbean neighbours while learning about their cultures, but it will also strengthen the understanding of the English language.
Mr. Winston Lewis, teacher at the Happy hill Secondary School says though part of their preparation was hindered by the industrial action, they made use of available resources.
He said as a lead up to Friday’s Extravaganza they used youtube to practice.
As a foreign language teacher, Mr. Lewis says he welcomes the initiative, saying the children were able to use the languages to have fun and not just for academics.
Murisha Charles Alexis Curriculum officer for Modern languages in the Ministry of Education says their interest was not in the correctness of responses, but rather having students attempt to say something in one of the two languages.
Alexis says her ministry is currently running a pilot program in five primary schools on the island.
Each student received a token of participation. The ministry she says is hoping to make this an annual occurrence.
