Teaching French in Nakhchivan Schools: Policy, Classroom Challenges, And Sustainable Pathways in an English-Dominant Environment

Abstract

This article examines the position of French in general education schools in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan, and identifies the institutional, motivational, pedagogical, and transition-related challenges that shape its teaching. The study uses qualitative document analysis rather than unreported survey or interview data. Its evidence base includes national curriculum-plan notes, official teaching-resource records, State Examination Center announcements, records of French-teacher development, and a regional report concerning foreign-language choice in four rural schools, interpreted alongside research on languages other than English, plurilingual education, communicative pedagogy, and teacher learning. The analysis shows that French has a legitimate curricular and material foundation: it is recognised as a main or second foreign language, supported by graded textbooks and methodological resources, represented in assessment structures, and connected to professional-development opportunities. However, policy choice may be narrowed by the local availability of teachers; English-dominant expectations can weaken French learner motivation; continuity between school, higher education, and employment is uneven; and limited exposure outside the classroom constrains communicative development. The article argues that the sustainable response is not to remove French but to convert formal multilingualism into workable choice. It proposes school-level language-capacity mapping, cluster staffing, CEFR-aligned formative assessment, localised action-oriented tasks, systematic pronunciation and writing support, hybrid teacher communities, and explicit pathways linking French to further study and professional futures.