Before an international student can apply to attend a U.S. Air Force training program, he or she must demonstrate proficiency in the English language. During a recent visit to Mali, where the official language is French, members of U.S. Air Forces Africa toured the Malian Air Force English Language Lab in Bamako, one of three such labs spread across the country to prepare officers for training in the United States, other nations as well as participation in United Nations peacekeeping missions.



"Right now, the training is just for officers," said 1st Lieutenant Fankele Samake, an English language instructor in the Malian Air Force. "We've looked at training for the NCOs and decided there is a need for it, so we will start a class in January."



The lab currently conducts two 6-month programs and produces about 40 graduates a year, with materials provided through the U.S. Embassy and U.S. Department of Defense. Two classes are taught each day in morning and afternoon sessions.



"The afternoons sessions are for those with higher comprehension," explained Samake. "Our students learn all aspects of the language - writing, listening and speaking. Listening is the most important skill, but most students are better at writing." Some students arrive at the lab with a working knowledge of the English language, which is offered as an elective throughout middle school and high school, along with German.



Instructors for the lab are sourced from the Malian defense forces. Instructor candidates are given a test and those with top scores attend an immersion course at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, provided through funding from the U.S. Department of State's International Military Education and Training program. In 2009, program funding totaled more than $18 million, with participants from 49 African nations.