Lycée Français du Caire
Encyclopedia
Lycée Français du Caire is a French preparatory, primary, and secondary school. The school's main language of instruction is French, while Arabic and English are taught in the primary, Spanish or German are taught in later years (preparatory). It is located in Maadi
, just outside Cairo's borders, and is considered as a private school in Egypt, but has the status of French public school for France.
Mainly gives priority to French students but Egyptian children as well as other foreigners are accepted after analysis of their family situation. The French authorities are planning to move middle (preparatory) and high school to a new site near the Hyper market Carrefour, in Maadi's suburbs. This site should open in 2012, in the most optimistic alternative and allow to accommodate more students.
The school has over 1600 students, and programs are derived from the French educational system. About 50% of the students are French, and 35% are Egyptian or from 36 different nationalities represented in the school. Classes go generally from 7:45am to 4:35pm. The school is also a place where students can pass the French high school test Baccalauréat
, most of the time with the LFC seniors and some students from other cities or CNED students. The diploma is recognized as a French one, and is given by the Academy of Lyon. The Brevet des collèges
exam, is also a french test LFC students must pass. The school educates from Kindergarten
to the last year of high school. Thought it has only three general channels, the Scientific one, the Social and Economic one, and the Literary one.
and Acrobatic gymnastics
equipment, a football field, a volleyball/basketball one, a handball/basketball one, and also some Table Tennis
tables. Buses allow to go to a close Olympic Stadium, where there's swimming, Javelin throw
, and track and field
teachings.
The seven other classrooms are 2 informatics classes, one amphitheatre, and 4 laboratories. Each class is composed of 20 to 30 students, which is the average capacity of every classroom.
However, ignoring the teacher's apologies, the headmaster filed a complaint for "assault", claiming he had to "muster all of his strength to fight back and take the microphone the teacher had unrightfully snatched from his hands", resulting in the indefitnite suspension of the said math teacher. When the school reopened on February 28th, the students, particularly the Seniors, heard the news, and, as they all had just witnessed the power of protests to fight injustice, the students decided they would stage protests on the school's football field, not going to class until the unjust punishment was revoked. A group of seniors along with a few juniors, began to write a petition to be sent to the director of the AEFE, condemning the irresponsibility and incapabilities of the headmaster during this crisis and the unjust suspension of the teacher, which was signed by over 600 students (out of a rough 800). Two other petitions were also sent, one signed by the parents, and another by the teachers.
The situation escalated, and as the school was paralyzed and could not function because of the students' protests, the vice-president of the AEFE travelled from Paris to Cairo to tend to the situation and hear what the students, parents and teachers had to say. Finally, after a week of protests, the teacher's unjust suspension was lifted, and the headmaster, Mr. Bernard Roesch, was ultimately fired for his incompetence and inability to control the situation, at the satisfaction of the entire school's community.
Maadi
Maadi is a wealthy suburb south of Cairo, Egypt. The town is home to the Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt, Cairo American College , Lycée Français du Caire , Misr American College , Maadi British International School , the Cairo Rugby Club, and the national Egyptian Geological Museum.-...
, just outside Cairo's borders, and is considered as a private school in Egypt, but has the status of French public school for France.
Mainly gives priority to French students but Egyptian children as well as other foreigners are accepted after analysis of their family situation. The French authorities are planning to move middle (preparatory) and high school to a new site near the Hyper market Carrefour, in Maadi's suburbs. This site should open in 2012, in the most optimistic alternative and allow to accommodate more students.
The school has over 1600 students, and programs are derived from the French educational system. About 50% of the students are French, and 35% are Egyptian or from 36 different nationalities represented in the school. Classes go generally from 7:45am to 4:35pm. The school is also a place where students can pass the French high school test Baccalauréat
Baccalauréat
The baccalauréat , often known in France colloquially as le bac, is an academic qualification which French and international students take at the end of the lycée . It was introduced by Napoleon I in 1808. It is the main diploma required to pursue university studies...
, most of the time with the LFC seniors and some students from other cities or CNED students. The diploma is recognized as a French one, and is given by the Academy of Lyon. The Brevet des collèges
Brevet des collèges
The National diploma is a diploma given to French pupils at the end of the , This diploma is awarded to students that are or were within French cultural influence, including France itself, Lebanon and Syria, the latter two within the scope of a League of Nations mandate to France after World War...
exam, is also a french test LFC students must pass. The school educates from Kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
to the last year of high school. Thought it has only three general channels, the Scientific one, the Social and Economic one, and the Literary one.
Structure
The school is on a land of approximately 15 000 m², but is soon to be overtaken by the new school.Sports Facilities
The school has a gymnasium with BoxingBoxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
and Acrobatic gymnastics
Acrobatic gymnastics
Acrobatic gymnastics is a competitive partner sport combining the strength, flexibility and technical precision of gymnastics with the grace and musicality of dance as well as the trust and camaraderie of a dedicated partnership...
equipment, a football field, a volleyball/basketball one, a handball/basketball one, and also some Table Tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
tables. Buses allow to go to a close Olympic Stadium, where there's swimming, Javelin throw
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
, and track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
teachings.
CDI
The CDI (Centre de Documentation et d'Information), is the school library that consists of 13991 documents, which 11594 are books and 2345 are periodicals. Each can be borrowed for 2 weeks. 8 computers are also free to use for the students.Classrooms
There's approximately 50 classrooms in the school, on two levels. 43 of them are classic classrooms, numbered from 1 to 43. The ones from 1 to 19 and 32 to 43 are on the ground floor, and the others are on the first floor.The seven other classrooms are 2 informatics classes, one amphitheatre, and 4 laboratories. Each class is composed of 20 to 30 students, which is the average capacity of every classroom.
The Polyvalent Room
The Polyvalent Room is approximately a 23-meter-large, 29-meter-long room. Used principally to host students with no classes and students doing detention time. But it's also used for exams, meetings, elections, speeches and announcements, it has a theatre scene, and therefore is used by the theatre club.Students Well-being
The School has also an infirmary, and a cafeteria. Two bus companies ensures the school trips. And security is provided by guards into the school grounds, and by armed policemen at the school's front and back door.Administration
The school is directed by Mr.Roesch and his adjunct Mr.De Sousa. The educational administration part is provided by Mrs. Moulla and Mr. Hany.March 2011 Protests
During the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, the headmaster Mr. Roesch had called for a meeting to discuss the closing of the school until February 27th. During the meeting, which over 200 teachers, parents and students attended, only the headmaster was allowed to use a microphone. Unable to speak during the meeting, a math teacher stood up and tries to grab the microphone from the headmaster's hands, who resisted and kept the microphone. Considering the conditions and the incredible amount of stress associated with this crucial moment of egyptian history, and the fact that the very purpose of a meeting is to enable communication, this act is quite natural.However, ignoring the teacher's apologies, the headmaster filed a complaint for "assault", claiming he had to "muster all of his strength to fight back and take the microphone the teacher had unrightfully snatched from his hands", resulting in the indefitnite suspension of the said math teacher. When the school reopened on February 28th, the students, particularly the Seniors, heard the news, and, as they all had just witnessed the power of protests to fight injustice, the students decided they would stage protests on the school's football field, not going to class until the unjust punishment was revoked. A group of seniors along with a few juniors, began to write a petition to be sent to the director of the AEFE, condemning the irresponsibility and incapabilities of the headmaster during this crisis and the unjust suspension of the teacher, which was signed by over 600 students (out of a rough 800). Two other petitions were also sent, one signed by the parents, and another by the teachers.
The situation escalated, and as the school was paralyzed and could not function because of the students' protests, the vice-president of the AEFE travelled from Paris to Cairo to tend to the situation and hear what the students, parents and teachers had to say. Finally, after a week of protests, the teacher's unjust suspension was lifted, and the headmaster, Mr. Bernard Roesch, was ultimately fired for his incompetence and inability to control the situation, at the satisfaction of the entire school's community.