African School of Economic’s new cohort of master’s students just finished their two week-long rigorous English camp. The intensive course started September 12 and ended September 23. The classes were held on campus and required 6 hours per day of English attendance, including 2 hours of speaking and listening, 2 hours of grammar and writing, and 2 hours of additional review sessions.

The classes were taught by two teachers. The professor for the grammar course was Dr. Amzat, a Beninese professor of English language with extensive teaching experience in the United States. The instructor for speaking and listening was Michael Rivera, a Princeton in Africa fellow and Cambridge teaching diploma candidate from the United States. The classes included discussion groups, interactive activities, use of authentic English materials, and technical reinforcement of essential grammar for graduate education.

Bérenger Sogbadji, a Mathematics, Economics, and Statistics (MMES1) student from Benin, said:

“The English camp was very useful to me. I really enjoyed this experience and got to improve my proficiency in English. I think my English level improved because my vocabulary is already richer…” He adds that one challenge was “how to practice the advanced grammar rules in daily speaking.”

The grand finale of the course was a verbal presentation in front of the class on any topic students felt passionate about. Although topics ranged from Tupac to King George, many students chose Pan-African icons such as Nkrumah, Mandela, and Toussaint l’Ouverture. Another student chose a traditional festival from her hometown located in the West region of Cameroon. The presentations reflected ASE’s values of Pan-Africanism and the importance of learning African history and culture.

After having increased their confidence in the English language, students now are better prepared for the start of their master’s classes which will be 100% in English. Before classes start, however, students must complete 2 more weeks of camp in mathematics and computer science.