NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 26-A total of 169 Kenyan language assistants are set to travel to France for the 2026–2027 academic year, as the two countries deepen educational and people-to-people ties through a programme that Kenya has participated in since 2019.The cohort comprises 90 new Kenyan language assistants and 79 returning participants who will teach English in French primary and secondary schools from October 2026 to April 2027.Kenya ranks first in Africa in participation in the programme, sixth worldwide and fourth among countries whose assistants teach English, according to information provided by the French Embassy.The programme has attracted about 650 Kenyan participants since the country joined it in 2019. Around 4,500 students from across the world participate annually, travelling to France to teach languages including English, German, Spanish, Russian, Mandarin and Arabic.Speaking during a reception at the French Embassy in Nairobi, French Ambassador to Kenya Wadid Benaabou described the programme as a practical example of people-to-people diplomacy and a symbol of friendship between Kenya and France.“The language assistant programme is very dear to us,” Benaabou said, noting that Kenya had become the leading African participant.He urged the Kenyan assistants to use their experience in France to strengthen links between the two countries.“You’re going to be ambassadors of Kenya to France, and when you come back you’re going to be ambassadors of France to Kenya,” the ambassador told the departing assistants.Benaabou said interest was growing both among French higher education institutions in Kenya and among Kenyan students seeking to study in France.“The number of Kenyan students studying in France has increased, but we want it to increase even more,” he said, urging the assistants to encourage other Kenyans to consider higher education opportunities in France.The programme is also being positioned by Kenya as a pathway to international employment, with the government highlighting the importance of second-language skills in accessing jobs abroad.Speaking at the event, Secretary for Diaspora, Investment, Skills and Expertise Isaiya Kabira said the government had seen cases where Kenyans were unable to take up overseas opportunities because they lacked additional language skills.“We know there are job opportunities in Germany, job opportunities in Japan, but a lot of our people are able to take the opportunities because of not having a second language,” he said.He encouraged the assistants to use their time in France to build professional networks and engage with Kenyan diaspora communities.The government official also described the programme as part of Kenya’s broader effort to strengthen educational exchange, cultural cooperation and people-to-people ties with France.The assistants were selected through the Embassy of France and Alliance Française network in Kenya, with candidates required, among other criteria, to have attained at least a B1 level of French.They underwent pre-departure training between September 21 and 24 through Alliance Française centres in Nairobi and Mombasa, in collaboration with the Lycée Français Denis Diderot in Nairobi.Four of the highest-performing assistants in French were also awarded Air France tickets.The programme goes beyond classroom teaching, with participants expected to promote Kenyan culture in France while gaining professional experience and international exposure.The French Embassy said the programme often provides participants with their first opportunity to travel abroad and their first professional teaching experience, while also opening possibilities for further studies in France.Principal Secretary for Higher Education and Research Beatrice Inyangala challenged the assistants to use their experience abroad to acquire knowledge and ideas that could benefit Kenya when they return.“Learn from France, but also let France learn from you,” Inyangala told the assistants.She urged them to share Kenya’s culture, languages, music, food, innovations and experiences while in France and to return with new ideas and perspectives.“When your assignment is over, I hope you will return. Not simply saying, I have been to France, but rather France changed the way I see the world, and I have something new to give to Kenya,” she said.Applications for the 2027–2028 programme are expected to open in January 2027.