kolkata the future foundation school a cradle of innovation in ashramlike environs has signed a historic deal for collaboration with lyce franais de pondichry the oldest french school in asia which will give children in kolkata a window to global education the memorandum of understanding was signed between tffs principal ranjan mitter and lycee francois principal aline charles on friday in the presence of consul general of france in kolkata fabrice etienne and caroline schmitt of the french embassy new delhi it is a first such tieup for the 188yearold pondicherry institution the collaboration will lead to student and faculty exchanges and sharing of education methods with lyce franais which follows the french pattern of teaching the day isnt far when lectures from paris will be beamed live to lyce franais and tffs at the same time mitter told toi calling it an intense and moving moment aline charles said i feel as if the mother were here today with us inspiring us it is a historic day for kolkata and lyce franais it will open our minds and hearts to the wider world and help us understand each others language and culture fabrice etienne said this would encourage more indian students to study in france where public universities are heavily subsidised making worldclass education in science humanities fashion and culinary arts affordable to the indian middleclass annual fees in some of frances best universities is as low as rs 40000 he pointed out france aims to have 4000 indian students by 2020 and is well on course to achieving this through more scholarships and outreach programmes he said we live in a globalized world and are global citizens this partnership will open up new doors of opportunities etienne said aline is excited by the prospect of getting an insight into indian education especially the emphasis on values the illustrious pondicherry institute was so far confined to french citizens or indians who decided very early to move to france for their education and career now thanks to this collaboration a student in kolkata can hope to get a globally recognized certificate in french while continuing to stay under an indian board icse in this case tffs the first school in kolkata to get the prestigious nabet accreditation is also the only one in the city to offer french as second language right from class i as early as class iv they can get a certificate that will stand them in good stead for life said mitter the first bunch of tiny tots here learned to say bon jour last year on friday the french dignitaries were pleasantly surprised to see sixsevenyearolds conversing confidently with them it is indeed lovely to see children expressing themselves with such selfconfidence aline said touched by the schools emphasis on values characterbuilding and respect for elders she said this is something we must carry back from here