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Academic Excellence Award for French teacher

— Photo: T.Singaravelou

IN RECOGNITION: Ambassador of France in India Jerome Bonnafont presenting the excellence award to former French teacher Georgette Hacq at the Lycee Francais in Puducherry on Wednesday.

PUDUCHERRY: Ambassador of France in India Jerome Bonnafont presented the Academic Excellence Award (Ordre des Palmes Academiques) to Georgette Hacq, a former teacher of French at the Lycee Francais on Wednesday.

Consul General of France in Pondicherry and Chennai Joelle Rayet and Principal of Lycee Francais Eric Compan were present during the award ceremony. A number of alumni of the school working in India and France were also present.

Ms. Hacq, wife of former judge David Anoussamy, had taught French language and literature for 23 years from 1958 to 1981 at Lycee Francais de Pondicherry. She has trained many students in French language and literature.

After teaching in France from 1981 to 1982, she returned to India and started to teach French at the Alliance Francaise of Madras, later at the University of Madras and finally at Alliance Francaise of Pondicherry, said a press release.

Being interested in Indian culture, she published a pedagogical collection, a translation of a Tamil comedy in French, books and articles on the history of Pondicherry and Indian culture.

She had prepared a directory of the alumni of Lycee Francais indicating their academic and professional paths.

Ms. Hacq continued to teach her former students of Lycee Francais after retirement to help them prepare for French administrative competition, added the release.

Mr. Bonnafont, during a press conference said, the Academic Excellence Award would be presented to a distinguished Indian scientist who had devoted nearly 40 years to the French Institute of Pondicherry and has been studying sculptures and Sanskrit scriptures.

“It comes as recognition of the fact that the institute has some people of exceptional quality,” he said.

Earlier, he took part at the “Europe-Asia Forum on Field Studies” at the Pondicherry Centre of the French School of Asian Studies (Ecole Francaise d’ Extreme-Orient).

The forum has been designed to promote research cooperation between Asia and Europe.

“It is a gathering of the some of the best European and Asian brains looking at areas such as archaeology, epistemology, epigraphy, history and much more. We are creating a network of the best institutions and scientists specialising in ancient history of Asian countries particularly in India, China and South-East Asia,” he said.

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