The Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’I, said on Thursday in Abuja that French would be part of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) as from 2014 for interested candidates.
Rufa’I said this at a farewell reception held in honour of the French Language Project Manager, Mr Jean-Phillipe Roy.
She said that being multi-lingual in the 21st Century was essential as it helps individuals to operate more effectively in the international community.
“For Nigeria, the study of French language is quite a key, considering the fact that our neighbouring countries are French-speaking.”
“Apart from the English language, French language is one of the major international languages, ‘’she said.