Today at the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, an award ceremony was held for the winners of the French Olympiad, which was held for the first time in our country this year. This was reported in a press release from the French Institute in Turkmenistan, the organizer of the Olympiad.

The Olympiad, which took place from 12 to 21 April, gathered about 300 Ashgabat schoolchildren from:

• 9 Turkmen secondary schools where French is taught;
• French school of the Bouygues company;
• Ashgabat International School;
• French Institute in Turkmenistan.

The theme of the Olympiad is “a breath of air!” is also the theme proposed by the French Ministry of Culture for the 26th World Week of French and Francophonie.

Writing competitions in the form of a dictation on the topic of ecology and a test on inspiration and creativity were held in each educational institution during classes in cooperation with the city committee responsible for the examinations. Following them, oral final tests on the topic of travel and excursions were organized by the French Institute online.

During today's awards ceremony, winners received iPads and laptops donated by VINCI Construction and Bouygues Turkmen. Prizes were also provided by other partners: the Canadian Embassy in Ankara, the Swiss watch firm “Tissot”, “la boutique de Paris” store, the French bakery “La Tartine” and the beauty salon “Dessange”.

In the category of 4th and 5th grades, the prize places are distributed as follows:

• I place: Aygul Dovletgeldyeva, school No. 4, prize - iPadPro tablet provided by VINCI Construction.
• II place: Mamaeva Annagul, school No. 84, prize - French perfume from the store “La Boutique de Paris”.
• III place: Gurbanova Emine, school No. 136, prize - gift vouchers for visiting the French bakery “La Tartine” and the beauty salon “Dessange”.

In the 7th and 8th grade categories, the winners are:

• I place: Jumageldyeva Leyla, school No. 43, prize - laptop, provided by Bouygues Turkmen.
• II place: Tahiyeva Aelita, school No. 7, prize - a smart watch provided by the Canadian Embassy in Ankara.
• III place: Imangulyeva Shabibi, school No. 72, prize - gift vouchers for visiting the bakery “La Tartine” and the beauty salon “Dessange”.

In category 9th grades, the prizes were won:

• I place: Leyli Ashirova, school No. 27, prize - iPadPro tablet provided by VINCI Construction.
• II place: Hasanova Merjen, school No. 72, prize - a watch provided by the “Tissot” store.
• III place: Gurbanova Myakhri, school No. 7, prize - gift vouchers for visiting the bakery “La Tartine” and the beauty salon “Dessange”.

The laureate diplomas were signed jointly by the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan and the French Embassy.

Each schoolchild who took part in the first French Olympiad in Turkmenistan was presented with a T-shirt with the words “French in Central Asia” from the French Embassy.

All finalists also received a bag and a glass.

French is the second most in-demand language in the world after English. According to the international organization “Francophonie”, the number of people who speak French is about 274 million, and 130 million are studying it.