Edmonton Catholic Schools has learned from France Éducation International of a cybersecurity incident involving the GAEL platform, which France Éducation International manages and uses to register candidates for the Diplôme d’études en langue française (DELF) exam. The incident occurred between January 9 and 12, 2026.

The DELF exam is an internationally recognized French language proficiency exam administered by France Éducation International on behalf of the French Ministry of Education.

Anyone who has registered for and taken the DELF exam at any time since 2005 may be affected. This may include current and former students of Edmonton Catholic Schools. Some staff information may also be included if teachers completed the DELF exam for language proficiency.

At this time, there is no indication that the Edmonton Catholic Schools system was affected.

What Information was Accessed

According to France Éducation International, the following personal information may have been accessed:

• first name and surname
• city and country of birth
• date of birth
• nationality
• primary language

No other personal information, such as home addresses, phone numbers or email addresses, was accessed.

About the DELF Exam

Participation in the DELF exam is optional. Families choose whether their child registers for the exam, and consent is required. Only students and staff who previously registered for the DELF exam may be affected by this incident.

Next Steps

France Éducation International has indicated that they are contacting individuals directly where email addresses are available. They have also published a website with the most up-to-date information and have confirmed that required safety conditions were met before the GAEL platform was reopened.

If you or your child has written the DELF exam since 2005, you are advised to be especially cautious of unexpected or suspicious messages.