France gives green light to more English courses at universities

France's lower house on Thursday approved a plan to introduce more courses in English at universities despite critics alleging it will undermine efforts to promote French.

A majority of lawmakers in the National Assembly approved the second article of a bill on higher education in a show-of-hands vote. The full bill is expected to be approved in the Assembly and the upper house Senate, where the ruling Socialists and their left-wing allies have majorities.


The vote followed two hours of heated debate, with lawmakers from the main right-wing opposition UMP saying the measure threatens France's identity.

"A people that speaks a foreign language more and more loses its identity piece by piece," UMP lawmaker Jacques Myard said.

But Socialist lawmaker Thierry Mandon called the controversy "a storm in a teacup" and accused opponents of having "a phobia of foreign students".

The measure, which would also introduce lessons in languages other than English, aims to increase the number of foreign students at universities from 12 percent of the total to 15 percent by 2020.

- AFP