Eurocampus nurtures students to become ‘citizens of the world’
By Recto Mercene, November 4, 2017 in the Business Mirror
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THE Eurocampus recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, marking warm friendships and excellent cooperation that led to its establishment.
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Before the educational institution’s founding fathers, Embassy of France to the Philippines Chargé d’Affaires Laurent Le Godec led a commemoration to recall great challenges and difficulties that they hurdled a quarter of a century ago.
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“Also, we should thank all of you who are here today: teachers, educational, administrative and technical staff who help manage the Eurocampus and the two schools on a daily basis, who continue to make this adventure unfold.… At the end of the day, the objective is attained and we can be really proud of the cooperation we have. Thank you very much for that.”
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From the side of the French Embassy, Le Godec noted that “we have always supported the development…of the French school; but beyond that, of the Eurocampus as a whole.”
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He went on by saying, “As you may remember, the [former] President of the French Republic François Hollande came here two years ago when he paid a state visit to the Philippines. We in the French Embassy proposed that he meet with the French community here in the school…because we believe that the school is the heart of the French community in the Philippines, and somehow I can also say that it is the heart of the German community in the Philippines, and beyond that it is also a bit of the heart of Europe in the Philippines.”
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The French embassy official further noted, “It really is the incarnation of our European project; of our European dream. It has always been said that French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel now are working together to try to give a new impulse to this European project. But here, we have to acknowledge that this project is [alive], you are a living example of what we can achieve when we are together, when we share, when we exchange, when we try to overcome our differences and understand ourselves better.”
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He said that his colleagues would like to see the Eurocampus evolve in the next years, as they have the institution in the Philippines that can be a platform of exchanges with “our Filipino friends.”
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“We will continue to do so despite some difficulties because we believe…that the world of tomorrow is one where we would be able to overcome differences and share more and more.”
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In closing, he thanked everyone “for helping our children to become citizens of this world—a world of tolerance, of freedom, of communication and exchange.”
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“This is the world that Europe has been advocating for [and] is founded on; [these are] the values that we want to see living on in Europe and also everywhere in the world, and this is what we will continue to do here in the Philippines, as well, in the spirit of great friendship with our Filipino friends,” Le Godec concluded.
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The Eurocampus Manila is an international school in a 2-hectare campus in Parañaque City. It houses both the Lycée Français de Manille (French School Manila; LFM) and the Deusche Europäische Schule Manila (German European School Manila; GESM), both accredited by the French and German authorities through the Agency for French Teaching Abroad and the Zentralstelle für das Auslandsschulwesen.
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Twenty-five years ago, a group of determined and dedicated parents from the French and German communities came together to establish a common school that would cater to the increasing number of European families seeking a European education for their children. Together, they worked hard to build the very first French-German Eurocampus in the world. They created the European Education Foundation, a Philippine association which officially owns the land that houses the Eurocampus. The school aims to cultivate, promote and develop the education and interests of the members of the European community, particularly those of the two founding schools, the LFM and the GESM.
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After 25 years, the Eurocampus, accredited by the Department of Education, is now the second home of more than 400 families of around 50 nationalities. It offers French, German and international curricula and education to almost 700 students from kindergarten to baccalaureate/Grade 12.