The Minister of Secondary Education recently signed an order to the effect.

A bilingual specialty of the General Certificate of Education (GCE) examination has been created in the GCE Board. A decision by the Minister of Secondary Education, Louis Bapes Bapes, published on Tuesday August 20, 2013, says the directive is one of the measures to implement the Special Bilingual Education Programme, SBEP, created on December 2, 2008 and that went operational on May 25, 2010.

The GCE Board shall conduct the specialty at the Ordinary and Advanced Levels. However, only students undergoing the SBEP in authorised schools are allowed to go in for the specialty whose main component shall be Special Bilingual Education French subject. In order to be awarded the GCE Examination Certificate in the specialty, candidates must show proof of having passed, in addition to three other subjects at the Ordinary Level or one other subject at the Advanced Level, the Special Bilingual Education French subject. Furthermore, the Special Bilingual Education French subject codes shall be 545B at the Ordinary Level and 745B at the Advanced Level.

Article 6 of the Ministerial order states that the Special Bilingual Education French subject shall have “Intensive French,” “Citizenship and Moral Education” and “Physical and Sports Education” as components. “Intensive French” shall be in written and oral parts. Candidates will be expected to show proof of a commendable mastery and application of the French language in the various phases of the specialty. On the whole, candidates shall be assessed on their ability to communicate accurately and fluently in the French language in true life situations in order to adequately play social roles in various domains of life.

However, Article 10 of the Secondary Education Minister’s decision says the syllabus for the Special Bilingual Education French subject at the GCE Advanced Level Examination shall be defined by a subsequent edict.