University Success Center of the Francophonie
Azerbaijan University of Languages has been a member of AUF-"Agence Universitaire de la Fancophonie" organization since May 21, 2015. We would like to note that Azerbaijan University of Languages is the first university from Azerbaijan to become a member of the Francophonie Universities Agency (https://www.auf.org/), which has more than 900 universities and scientific research institutes from 106 countries around the world. AUF is an international organization, and the advantage of this organization is to ensure and strengthen the mobility of teaching and student staff of French-speaking universities.
In 2017, University Success Center of the Francophonie was established at Azerbaijan University of Languages within the framework of the joint cooperation between Azerbaijan University of Languages (AUL) and the Francophonie University Agency. The official opening of the center was held on April 4, 2017, with the participation of Mr. Mohamed Ketata, the director of the Francophonie University Agency for Central and Eastern Europe, and Orelia Bouchez, ambassador of France to Azerbaijan, and other officials. Since its establishment, University Success Center of the Francophonie has set itself the following tasks:
• improve students' expression and communication skills in French;
• to provide teachers and students with pedagogical resources;
• to use materials for the development of innovative, motivating and new lessons (for example: new information booklets, access to didactic databases), didactic live devices (video conference, e-books, internet studies, language laboratories);
• create opportunities to join video conferences with partner universities of the Francophonie University Agency in Central and Eastern Europe;
• to organize trainings and exercises for teachers and students with the cooperation of the Francophonie University organization;
• to organize lessons in various fields with the participation of French language teachers invited from France;
• to attract teachers and students to participate in the annual scholarship programs of the Francophonie University Organization and to provide extensive information about those programs;
• to organize discussion clubs and round-tables with the participation of French-speaking teachers and graduates of French-speaking universities;
• informing French-speaking teachers and students of the university about conferences, events and scholarship programs organized by the organization in French-speaking countries;
• organization of events, competitions, meetings and presentations at the center, student mobility, regular official correspondence with employees of the Francophonie University Organization in Central and Eastern Europe.
In the Center, all students and teachers of our University have the opportunity to freely access various resources (books, magazines, documentary film databases, films, DVDs) in French. Since its establishment, our center has been provided with various didactic resources (smartboards, computers, textbooks, dictionaries, art books in French, etc.) with the financial support of the Francophonie University Agency. Every year, according to the Center's annual activity plan, AUF provides certain financial support to the center's activities (fees for teachers trained at the center, gifts of competition winners, books and teaching aids, technical equipment, etc.).
Since Azerbaijan University of Languages became a member of the mentioned organization, our University has participated in many French-language projects. In addition, within the framework of joint cooperation with the Francophonie University Agency and Azerbaijan University of Languages, students and teachers of our University have successfully participated in training and exchange programs organized in French-speaking countries and at Azerbaijan University of Languages. Within the framework of our cooperation with the organization, 8 students of our University were sent to France for a 2-month teaching experience with a scholarship.
Since 2012, the youth festival has been organized in Bucharest, Romania, and in Zagreb, Croatia in 2017 with the support of the Francophone University Agency. In this festival, the French-speaking style of our University was well represented in our country. The main principles of the festival are to bring together French-speaking young people from all over the world, to create opportunities for their scientific and cultural activities in the French sections among themselves, and at the same time to encourage them, to represent them in the international arena. Festivals of this type create conditions for promoting the representation of young people in the world arena in accordance with multicultural traditions. In addition, our teachers actively participate in scientific conferences, seminars and trainings in the country and universities (France, Japan, Georgia, etc.) .
The first training was given by Delphine de Vazier, a teacher of The French University of Nice Sophia Antipolis and the director of the international summer school in Nice, on the topic "French for special purposes - tourism", and the second training was given by Sylvia Gutu, a teacher of State University of Moldavia, on the topic "ICT application in scientific research" was conducted on the subject. In May-June 2019, a 1-month refresher course for French language teachers was organized with the cooperation of the University Success Center of the Francophonie of AUL and the Faculty of Additional Education. About 30 French language teachers of AUL participated in the training and were awarded international certificates. The Francophonie University Agency has been operating in close cooperation with the French Embassy in Azerbaijan and other French-speaking embassies since its establishment. An example of this is the 1st forum of French-speaking universities, which was organized on April 12, 2018, in the II Teaching Corps of Azerbaijan University of Languages, within the framework of the joint cooperation of the French Embassy in Azerbaijan.
As we know, since March 20, a certain quarantine regime has been announced to strengthen the fight against the COVID-19 virus. The Francophonie Agency continued its activities online. During this period, online lessons and trainings for all teachers and programs sent by e-mail to the Francophone University Agency for Central and Eastern Europe, previously free online libraries of French publishers were shared on social networks, the official website of our university and the leading website portals of the university (azertag.az), sent to the e-mail addresses of students and teachers. The Francophone Agency has won the "Prix desunes écritures” (Young Writers prize) at the University in collaboration with the international radio agency RFI (Radio France International). Although there’s a current sanitary situation, RFI and AUF will provide remote monitoring of this activity and all young French-speaking students between the ages of 18 and 29 are invited to participate in the competition. The announcement was translated by the center and presented online to the French-speaking students of AUL.
October 15, 2021-Babayeva Samira, a 4th-year student of the Translation Faculty of Azerbaijan University of Languages, is participating in the distance internship program in the field of translation organized for French-speaking students in the 2021-2022 academic year within the framework of the regional partnership between the Francophonie University Agency (AUF) and RFI Radio Romania. As one of the 19 people selected from among 45 candidates, she will undergo a distance internship program for a period of 3 months (October 15, 2021-January 15, 2022). 19 intern students selected from the countries of the region will receive an allowance of 60 euros per month for a period of 3 months. At the end of the internship, the students was awarded with an official certificate of the AUF.
The head of the Center and the specialist continue their official correspondence with the Francophonie University Agency for Central and Eastern Europe.
The head of the University Success Center of the Francophonie is Shahismayil Suleymanov.
