French parliamentarian Anne Genetet on Friday visited Lycée International Français de Taipei (LIFT), a French school that opened in the city last August, according to a press statement from the French Office in Taipei.
Genetet, whose visit to Taiwan was previously unannounced, visited the school, which was established on the campus of Liu Gong Bilingual Education School in Xinyi District, and attended a ceremony marking the celebration of the institute's opening after three years of preparations, the statement said.
At that ceremony, the school also announced the beginning of registration for the 2023-2024 academic year, with classes for sixth-grade students opening in September, the statement said.
The new French school, which began its first semester at the end of last August, currently caters to children in first to fifth grade and offers classes in three languages -- French, English, and Chinese.
The school plans to open seventh-grade classes next year, with the goal of ultimately expanding classes to the 12th grade, the statement said.
Genetet told the ceremony that LIFT was a successful example of cooperation between Taiwan and France, according to the statement.
She said the fruit of such cooperation belonged to children, parents, and the French community in Taiwan, while expressing gratitude to all those who had offered assistance in the establishment of the school.
Meanwhile, French representative to Taiwan Jean-François Casabonne-Masonnave said LIFT, which welcomes students of all nationalities, would further contribute to exchanges between Taiwan and France.
Casabonne-Masonnave is head of the French Office in Taipei, which represents Paris' interests in Taipei in the absence of formal diplomatic relations.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel