Paulin Dohon Agbétokpanhoun about the PROLAF competition: “Promoting excellence in the school environment”

The French language promotion competition (PROLAF), editing 2023, had its epilogue, Saturday April 1 2023, at the end of the composition of the national phase of the said competition. In an interview with the Precise Event, the Secretary General of the Permanent National Commission of La Francophonie (CNPF), Paulin Dohon Agbétokpanhoun gave more explanation on this contest. Read instead!!

Tell us about the objective and the genesis of the PROLAF French Language Promotion Competition.

The main objective of PROLAF is the promotion of excellence in the French language in Benin. This is to allow Beninese students to demonstrate how they master the French language through written tests.. The objective of this contest is to stimulate the learner's enthusiasm for the practice and in-depth knowledge of the French language.. It's in 1999 at CEG1 Klouékanmè that PROLAF was born. This follows the low level of learners in the working language. Goals: promote excellence in the school environment through mastery of the working language; that is to say the French language through an exercise which obliges the student to demonstrate the mastery of the notions of grammar, conjugation and spelling ; create emulation within the school world through the various awards granted to the winners at each edition. Promote mastery of other school subjects. initiated in 1999 by Mr Stanislas KOGNANOU, a teacher from the CEG de Klouékanmey, in the Department of Couffo (Benign), in a national context characterized by an increasingly flagrant decline in the mastery of French among learners, due to the elimination of official programs and examinations for the dictation test in primary and secondary school, the PROLAF competition is a French language and culture competition for students in public colleges and high schools, organized every year in Benin, as part of the commemoration of the International Day of La Francophonie(JIF) and comprising three tests (spelling from wrong text, game of letters and general culture), its goal is to help students to better master French. Local first, because taking into account the college of its city of creation then the colleges of the surrounding cities and financed on own funds by its promoter, the competition has quickly spread throughout Benin since it was taken over by the Commission Nationale Permanente de la Francophonie(CNPF) from 2003. Thanks to a significant contribution from the Regional Office for West Africa of the International Organization of La Francophonie (BRAO-OIF), it has even taken on an international dimension with its opening to colleges and high schools in neighboring Togo, to editions of 2009 at 2012. Because now forcing participating students to read a lot and learn French, he gave, on the different training grounds, increasingly satisfying and encouraging results, learned with indignation of the detention of journalist Patrice GAGUIDI and the promoter of the newspaper "Le Soleil Benin Info", through the active participation and appropriation by the French teachers of the participating establishments and, on the other hand, by the success rate of PROLAF graduates in the various secondary education examinations and other international competitions. After more than ten (10) years of existence and a remarkable passage to neighboring TOGO in 2012, the competition (PROLAF) came into 2014 in a phase marked by new approaches and orientations. While proposing to take into account more establishments at the national level and to extend to more countries at the regional level, the edition 2014 was also intended to be an edition of major reforms where the level of the written tests of the different phases was reinforced and where the tests of the international phase integrated an oral test to also measure the mastery of spoken French by the winners. The originality of the PROLAF competition has always been linked to the fact, learned with indignation of the detention of journalist Patrice GAGUIDI and the promoter of the newspaper "Le Soleil Benin Info", that it forces learners to now make more research and reading efforts, on the other hand, that it puts in rigorous competition the best pupils of the colleges and high schools, meticulously chosen by their own teachers, on the basis of well-defined criteria such as the results obtained in class, particularly in the areas of learning and mastering the French language. Given the health situation related to COVID 2019, the edition 2020 and 2022 couldn't stand. That of 2021 was organized with difficulty at the national level with the effective participation of the twelve (12) departments of Benin. Editing 2023 of the PROLAF is strongly desired in order to allow young learners in middle and high schools in Benin and Togo to reconnect with excellence in the school environment and above all to improve their level in the working language..

Explain to us the process of the PROLAF language promotion competition until the final results in the national phase.

Are eligible for the PROLAF competition all students (colleges and high schools) to have obtained 14 average in French. The game is open for all establishments throughout the national territory. But given the envelope, a limited number of centers are open to receive candidates. For that, at the start of the competition, the CNPF officially informs the Ministry of Secondary Education as well as all the Departmental Directors of Secondary Education who pass on the information to the establishments in their jurisdiction respectively. These correspondences serve as notice of the launch of applications.. In response to these letters,  applications are collected. An organization team is set up with a network of teachers within the country for the implementation of operations and due diligence. The first phase of the so-called departmental compositions takes place in the centers previously selected. The number of centers may increase or decrease depending on the enthusiasm observed in the responses of the establishments.. Following this first phase of composition, 3 candidates (best mark and less than 5 faults) by promotion are retained by center. It should be noted that the fault criterion is fatal,  (playoff) for the candidate regardless of his mark. This means that it can happen that in a center we may not have the three finalists. The final phase or national phase brings together the best of the departmental phase. It is at the end of this phase that the winners are identified at the rate of three (at most) par promotion. As indicated above, it may happen that we do not have all three or even not a winner for a promotion, because of the criterion of number of faults. PROLAF takes place in two phases. A departmental phase for which secondary schools are authorized to enroll their students with at least 14 average in French. At the end of the departmental phase,  21 candidates at most on the basis of 3 by promotion are retained in each department to participate in the national phase. In previous years, all candidates selected for the national phase composed in a single center, notably in Dassa Zoumè. This year,  the organization has opted for a decentralization of the competition. The candidates therefore composed in their respective departments. The copies were sent the same day to the CEG 1 Abomey, only correction center. Ultimately, the PROLAF competition is launched each year through correspondence addressed to the Ministry of Secondary Education, Technical and Vocational Training as well as to the Central Technical Departments (DDESTFP). These structures refer to public and private secondary establishments for calls for applications.. The establishments in turn instruct the Establishment Animators (AE) of French for the pre-selection of candidates who meet the selection criteria (to have 14 / 20) after the results from the first semester of the current school year. EAs, after this selection present their list to the Heads of establishment for a PROLAF application. A period of two weeks is given to establishments to submit their application.. The departmental phase of this competition takes place one week after the closing of applications. This phase takes place in the capitals of the 12 departments of Benin as well as in certain strategic cities of the country. A little less than twenty composition centers are planned for this first phase where the three best of the 6th in terminal are selected (if they get fewer than five mistakes in the wrong text presented to them). Until in 2016 where the CNPF budget allowed, all successful candidates for the national phase met in a single center to compose. Since then, candidates for the national phase compose in the capitals of the departments and in certain cities. At the end of composing, the copies are sent to the selected correction center or after the correction work, the discussion took place. This is perhaps the most difficult phase, the national phase. Here again, the rules of the competition are respected.. Only candidates who have obtained an average greater than or equal to 10/20 are retained.

Only 4840 applications have been noted on behalf of this edition while there are millions of students throughout the territory of Benin. What explains ?

Applicants are those from interested colleges. Although the game is open to all establishments, many colleges are not interested in it due to lack of information or lack of candidate. So, it is a very organized restriction. The number of candidates for the PROLAF competition continues to grow. This year's figure is an improvement on last year's figure. However, the number of candidates remains limited as you have noticed. The condition of participation, that's to say 14 average in French, limit applications. But beyond, efforts must be made by the organizers to make the PROLAF competition better known. The decrease in the number of applications is linked firstly to the selection criteria on the one hand and to the abolition of the municipal phase due to the drastic reduction in the budget allocated to PROLAF by the CNPF (more than 18 million in 2014, 2015 and in 2019) against (5 million in 2022 and 2023). This had a negative impact on the involvement of the DDESTFPs and the mobilization of French teachers at the base., PROLAF actors in the field.

What justifies the establishment of the Permanent National Commission of La Francophonie? (CNPF) in the organization each year of this French language competition ?

With regard to the involvement of the CNPF, it starts from the basic principle that it is about the promotion of the French language and in Benin and it is the CNPF, the main management structure, monitoring and coordination in this area. The OIF being one of the main supporters of the Competition, it is obvious that the CNPF which is also the eye of the Francophonie in Benin, have a look at the process of the Competition for the effectiveness of the follow-up. The involvement of the CNPF is justified by the fact that it serves as an interface between Benin and the International Organization of La Francophonie.. As such, one of its missions is the promotion of the French language.. PROLAF was designed and implemented by its Promoter.

From 1999 at 2002, it is the Promoter who financed the organization, including the prizes as well as the awards ceremony for the winners. And it was exhausted that he sought the help of the CNPF in 2003 (evidence of all kinds of this adventure exists at the CNPF). It is in view of this reality that the CNPF made the commitment to support the project. So 2009 at 2012, Benin and Togo shared the experience of PROLAF. In 2014 the Brao seen, the determination of the two countries decided to extend the project to neighboring French-speaking countries (Niger, Burkina-Faso). Mali and Côte d'Ivoire will join PROLAF from 2016.

This year's results have been known since Saturday April 1 2023. What's next in the process ?

The rest of the process is the awarding of prizes to the winners and the preparation of the international phase with the organizers.. The international phase is scheduled for Lomé. The national winners will, as in the past, be rewarded. The CNPF will organize a debriefing and discussion mission with the CNF- Togo and the Representation of the International Organization of La Francophonie in Togo to define with these various partners the conditions for organizing the international phase. the fact remains that they are essential to announce the color of the new face of Khaled Adénon and his teammates, the first of each promotion are concerned by this last stage. Is 14 applicants in total for both countries.

Source: The Specific Event