British Council takes stock of its 25 years of activity in Uzbekistan
On December 15, a press conference was held at the Hyatt Regency hotel dedicated to the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the British Council in Uzbekistan.
The press conference was attended by the Director of the British Council - Denise Woddingham, the British Ambassador to Uzbekistan - Tim Torlot, representatives of the Ministry of Public Education, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Education and other partners.
The work of the British Council in Uzbekistan began with the signing of a formal bilateral agreement with the government of Uzbekistan in October 1996. Over the years, the organization has made significant strides in strengthening educational, institutional and cultural relations between Uzbekistan and the UK.
The activities of the British Council can be divided into 3 areas - activities in the field of culture, art and the development of the creative economy, work in the field of reforming the education system and teaching English, as well as assessing knowledge of the English language.
Among the major achievements of recent years are:
• Support in the opening of a branch of Westminster International University in Tashkent, where more than 4000 students are currently studying
• Development and successful implementation of a modern national curriculum for the training of teachers of English. The program is implemented in 18 educational institutions, and more than 4,000 future teachers pass it a year.
• Development of the English for Special Purpose Curriculum (ESP) used by 45 public universities
• Introduction of the "Culture of Quality" program, created jointly with the London Metropolitan University and the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Education. The program offers an innovative professional development path for 500 academic leaders annually for 6 years
As part of the memorandum, in 2021, the British Council has developed a number of programs to support the national education reform in Uzbekistan.
“Over 25 years of work in the programs of the British Council in Uzbekistan, more than 700 organizations took part, more than 115,000 people received direct support, and the total coverage amounted to more than 27 million people in Uzbekistan and the UK,” said Denise Woddingham, Director of the British Council.
