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Since May students learning French are able to improve language skills and broaden their knowledge of Gallic culture.

Natda en France - or Natda in France - is a series of television programmes teaching French language and culture to Thai students.

The programmes help learners of all levels and reinforce French teaching in secondary schools and universities.

"Records show more and more students are interested in going to France to study at university," says the French ambassador to Thailand Laurent Aublin.

"By creating Natda en France we hope to fulfil student needs. They will discover and learn French language and culture through basic situations encountered in everyday life in France."

The programmes target secondary students. At present about 50,000 students study French from 500 teachers in secondary schools.

The programmes are broadcast on Education Television on True Visions 96. The series is 16 episodes divided into four parts. The 30minute programmes air at 8.30am on Thursdays and are rerun on Sundays at 12.30pm.

The first part is learning French with Natda role play. Natda is a secondary school student who visits Paris on holiday. Since she travels alone, she has to communicate in French. Viewers learn vocabulary and sentence structure from Natda and her everyday interactions. 

For example, in chapter one Natda arrives at the airport. She has to introduce herself to an immigration officer. Viewers learn greetings, introductions and vocabulary about nationalities and occupation.

In the second part, communiquons, or let us communicate, grammar and vocabulary are explained.

Even though learning grammar sounds boring the production makes it fun with the use of animation rather than lecturers. There are quizzes to end the show.

"When I create education programmes I don't think they need to be formal or patterned or different from any other kind of television," says executive producer Dolludee Khompatee.

"I don't think any differently than if I was producing a quiz show. Viewers need fun as well as getting knowledge.

"An advantage of producing education television is people will watch it anyway. But that's not the way we think. We have to think of viewers first," says Dolludee, who has been making educational television for 30 years.

Natda en France is made with the help of the French Embassy and the Centre for Educational Technology at the Education Ministry.

"It will be a very useful tool. Everyone including coproducers and actors put a lot of effort and work into promoting the language in this country," says Assumption University business French departments head Prapha Srisawangsap.

The embassy believes language learning is best through listening to absorb accent and the language as well as its culture.

The final two parts, vive la France and musique, are music videos, film and stories about Natda's adventures. Viewers learn about prominent French people including sports personalities.

The embassy will provide copies of the series to schools. Others interested in copies can ask the Centre for Educational Technology. It is also available for download at www.france.or.th.

By Suwicha Chanitnun

The Nation