The Agency for French Teaching Abroad (AEFE) is a unique school network in the world. The AEFE, a public establishment under the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs created by Law 90-588 of 6 July 1990, directs and manages the French educational network abroad with the dual mission of guaranteeing the continuity of the public educational service of French children outside the country’s borders and to contribute to the dissemination of the French language and culture abroad. This school network has 522 centers and more than 370,000 students in 139 countries, from kindergarten to the last grade. The quality and consistency of the education provided there as well as the values promoted there are characteristics of a network that is unique in the world by its extension.
Excellence, exchange and influence
The teaching provided in educational institutions abroad is innovative, is open to the culture and language of the countries in which they are located and, from pre-school, guarantees a reinforced learning of foreign languages. It prepares students for their future as citizens and active parts of open, multilingual and multicultural societies. The aim of the centers in the network is to reconcile a French education and teaching in accordance with international standards, the promotion of French and the development of multilingualism, a pedagogy that ensures the success of all students and a demand for excellence. School results attest to this excellence, with a success rate in the baccalauréat of 97%, of which two thirds with grades.
A network of approved centers
The AEFE network is made up of educational institutions approved by the Ministry of National Education, which have 60% foreign students. The homologation certifies the conformity of the center with the French educational system and its programs. It also guarantees the continuity of teaching, regardless of the country in which it is located. This principle of pedagogical continuity allows the students of the French high schools of the world to enjoy an excellent schooling that can begin in one country and continue in another, depending on family movements. The network thus allows foreign students to make French and Francophone culture their own while remaining connected to that of their country.
The AEFE network emphasizes multilingualism, citizenship education, sports, scientific teaching, philosophy and a culture of commitment.
With students of widely varied nationalities and cultures, French schools abroad are places where respect for others and inclusion prevail. The AEFE supports a better take into account of students with special educational needs and ensures that the concept of inclusive school is respected.
Red de establecimientos para la enseñanza del francés en el extranjero
Countries
Schools
Students
Former students, a key piece for the future
The device for French teaching abroad continues with the Alumni (students) association of the French Lyceums of the World (ALFM), whose objective is to maintain the bonds of friendship and solidarity among all those who have enjoyed such education. This network, which gathers around 600,000 students, represents a significant influence potential. Indeed, many alumni of the centers, of all generations, both French and foreign, hold eminent positions throughout the world in the most varied sectors of activity: politics, economics, higher education, the media and culture. They are the first ambassadors of our educational model and often cultivate a privileged bond with the French language and culture.
Some of the personalities who were students of our centers: Leila Slimani (Morocco), Carlos Ghosn (Lebanon), Butros Butros-Gali (Egypt), Ingrid Betancourt (Colombia), Rogelio Salmona (Colombia), Jodie Foster (United States), Marjane Satrapi (Austria), Antanas Mockus (Colombia), Jonathan Littell (United States), Atiq Rahimi (Afghanistan), etc.
