It is a great pleasure to join you for the closing ceremony of your five day workshop on strategies for teaching English. Thank you for your enthusiastic participation in this week’s activities; Alexis has spoken warmly about your desire to learn and the active learning that you have modeled.

The active participation that Alexis has fostered this week is a perfect example of a saying by the American inventor and patriot Benjamin Franklin: “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”

This workshop is an expression of the great value the Embassy places on learning English. We know that English is, more than ever, the language of commerce, science, technology and entertainment. Improving the level of English, especially among youth, creates opportunities and makes Chad a more attractive place for investors and visitors.

As inspectors and teachers of English, you play a key role in shaping the quality and content of English-language instruction. This workshop has provided you with new ideas and strategies that you can take back to your regions to inspire and empower teachers. We look forward to hearing how you are implementing these strategies and the impact they are having on teaching and learning.

I would like to thank the Ministry of Education for its strong support for this initiative. I look forward to continued collaboration between the Embassy and the Ministry on English-language learning and other topics.

Thank you, Alexis, for traveling to N’Djamena from Kigali to lead this workshop. I hope you have also found it enriching.

Inspectors and teachers, thank you once again for coming to the U.S. Embassy and for seizing this opportunity to learn new strategies. I wish you a safe trip home and much success as you share what you have learned with others.

Je vous remercie.