APPENDIX 19
Memorandum submitted by The British Council
1. EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
1.1 The long term peace, stability and economic
growth of South East Europe, and the closer integration of this
region and the rest of Europe, will depend to a large extent on
the kind of future offered to young people. They must be given
the chance to understand the meaning of a civil society, the opportunity
to realise their educational aspirations, and the ability to communicate
with their peers elsewhere in the world.
1.2 The British Council is working to promote
the United Kingdom as a key partner in this process in all the
countries affected by the recent conflict. The Council's strength
is in building lasting relationships, particularly by giving people
access to British education, knowledge and expertise, by helping
them to learn English, and by exposing them to ideas of liberty
and tolerance at a formative stage in their careers.
1.3 However, the Council's operations in
the region (apart from Romania and Bulgaria) are limited in scale
and scope: the total HMG grant-in-aid spend for Yugoslavia, Albania,
Bosnia, Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
is currently £1.5 million. While the Council has identified
an additional £400,000 in the current financial year, this
will provide only marginal extra impact (including opening a small
office in Kosovo).
1.4 After the end of the conflict, the Council
commissioned an opinion poll on the image of the UK in all countries
of the region. This demonstrated that there is a need to change,
or enhance, public perceptions of the UK in most of those countries,
but also that there is some recognition of this country's strengths,
upon which the Council could further capitalise. Findings of the
poll are incorporated in this submission.
1.5 The British Council thus believes that
the time is right to build long term influence for the UK in South
East Europe through cultural and educational activity in the broadest
sense as well as in other spheres. The Council has set out indicative
proposals for achieving this influence on a significant scale,
through a greatly increased programme of English teacher development,
support for educational reform and academic links, provision of
information and educational products from Britain through a network
of new learning centres, and opportunities for large numbers of
young people to spend time in the UK. The cost of these proposals
is beyond this organisation's current capability. Meanwhile, the
Council is also submitting more limited bids to the FCO for a
share of the new funds for media and civil society initiatives
announced at the time of the Sarajevo summit.
Note: definitions. For the purposes of this
paper, "South East Europè, or "the region"
comprises Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia. Bosnia-Herzegovina, Yugoslavia
(Serbia and Montenegro), Albania, the former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia, and Kosovo.
"Central Europè is defined as all
10 countries preparing for EU accession (including Romania and
Bulgaria).
2. THE BRITISH
COUNCIL'S
CURRENT PRESENCE
AND RESOURCES
2.1 The British Council has substantial
and diverse operations in Romania and Bulgaria, each with budgets
of more than £1 million. The total budget for Yugoslavia,
Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Croatia together is currently £2.14
million, of which £1.5 million is grant-in-aid. The grant-in-aid
allocation for each of these countries is therefore modest: the
largest (Yugoslavia) is £544,000; the smallest (Albania)
is £77,000. This expenditure covers premises and staff costs
as well as activity.
2.2 The Council has had an office in Bosnia
since the end of the war there. It has information centres in
Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. In Yugoslavia
there is a well-established office and library in Belgrade and
a small information centre in Podgorica. There is a similar, though
somewhat smaller, operation in Croatia. The offices in Bosnia,
Croatia and Yugoslavia are led by directors posted from the UK;
in Albania and Macedonia the centres are managed by local staff.
2.3 With the obvious exception of Yugoslavia,
the Council was able to operate normally in all countries throughout
the period of conflict. The information centre in Podgorica has
now reopened, but the Belgrade office and library remain closed
and the director is still unable to return.
2.4 In the past the Council had no office
in Kosovo, and at best only occasional activity, managed from
Belgrade.
3. IMMEDIATE
RESPONSE TO
THE BALKAN
CRISIS
3.1 Recognising the sudden increase in the
priority the UK gives to countries in this region, and the comparatively
small extent of its own existing operations, the British Council
decided to increase what it can do immediately by redeploying
£400,000 to the region in the current financial year. These
funds are being used as follows:
— to open an office in Kosovo, including
the temporary posting of a UK officer. The Council will contribute
to the UK's response to immediate needs by organising visits to
and from the UK (eg in education, media and the arts) and by providing
information (in particular books and journals for professionals);
while also trying to establish sustainable projects supporting
the longer term development of civil society, in education, information,
and the arts. The Council also commissioned a British expert (Prof
Lynn Davies) to report on the state of the education sector in
the province and the potential for UK involvement. (A copy of
this report is attached).
— to repair and re-stock the Council
library in Serbia (Belgrade), and to reopen this as soon as the
political and security situation allows, sending back the Director,
who is currently in London. (All the local staff are still employed
and will help re-establish relations with the educational and
cultural sectors and other key contacts).
— to reopen the information centre
in Montenegro, to increase the local staff to three or four in
order to improve its public services, and slightly expand activity
in the fields in which the Council was working before, viz information,
the arts and public administration;
— to improve the services of the British
Council information centres in Albania and Macedonia and increase
the staffing in each. In the case of Albania, this will entail
the temporary posting of a UK-based officer in January 2000. The
Council will also signal the UK's intention of a closer relationship
with these countries by arranging a number of arts events for
young people;
— to increase work on English teacher
development in Republika Srpska and to organise a number of literature
events there and in the rest of Bosnia;
3.2 The Council is also in the process of
submitting proposals to FCO for the use of a share of the £3
million recently made available by HM Treasury for civil society
initiatives in Serbia, Kosovo and Montenegro. However, the fact
that this money is non-recurrent poses problems of sustainability
for the Council. The proposals include:
— opening an information centre in
Pristina, which will meet an urgent need for students, teachers
and other professionals;
— upgrading the services offered by
the information centres in Podgorica and Belgrade (when possible),
including public access internet facilities, which will attract
a wide young audience;
— establishing an English teaching
development project in Kosovo and providing English lessons to
the new generation of political leaders there;
— sending young teachers, civil servants
and journalists from Montenegro, Kosovo and Serbia to attend English
courses in the UK;
— running a UK-Yugoslav workshop for
democracy in Montenegro.
4. REBUILDING
TRUST
4.1 The British Council's existing operations,
even with the enhancements already made, can at best only deliver
limited impact. The Council believes that the situation requires
a much greater effort than it is capable of delivering with its
current resources. The recent opinion poll confirms that there
are good opportunities waiting to be exploited, to restore and
strengthen relationships between people and countries and with
the UK; but it also shows that perceptions of the UK need changing.
The Council's experience in Central Europe in the last decade
suggests that the desired impact can be achieved.
5. OPINION POLL
FINDINGS
5.1 The main conclusions of the poll are
as follows:
— There is a strong demand for language
teaching, information and knowledge, and better opportunity for
young people.
— The UK is recognised as the leading
provider of language teaching. It is also seen as a leader in
education, but is almost always placed behind the US and/or Germany.
— An overwhelming majority of people
want to learn English as opposed to other languages; but when
it comes to studying abroad, most would prefer to go to the US.
— In most countries surveyed, people
see their future as tied up with the EU.
— The UK is not regarded as the most
important partner in achieving integration in Europe (the US and
Germany dominate here).
— The UK comes far behind the US, Germany
and France as a country which can help with the development of
democracy.
— Awareness of the UK tends to be highest
among younger age groups.
— Attitudes towards the UK have generally
deteriorated since the Balkan conflict.
— Other countries (the US, Germany)
are regarded by most people more favourably than the UK.
— People are far less familiar with
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland than with England or the
UK taken as a whole.
5.2 The main findings of the poll for each
country are included at annex A.
6. WAYS OF
CREATING CHANGE
6.1 The time is ripe to build long-term
relationships between the young people of South East Europe and
the United Kingdom, and to help create a civil society, through
activities in the British Council's fields of known expertise:
— exploitation of the English language
as the means to education and intellectual exchange;
— improvement of education opportunities
locally and access to them in the UK for the most promising students,
regardless of ethnic background;
— support for the development of an
active civil society and democratic institutions
— establishment of active and sustainable
networks of young professionals and encouragement of cross-border
debate on European issues;
— providing access to British knowledge
and values through books and information; and
— use of arts from the UK to encourage
the development of local arts, to give young people stimulation
and a sense of their own worth and dignity, and to emphasise the
multicultural diversity of the UK.
6.2 Programmes need to be shaped to guide
their recipients to think of the future and not to dwell in the
past. The Council intends to ensure that all its programmes benefit
women as well as men, and also hopes to design specific initiatives
to promote the status of women. Other UK and international partners
could be involved in order to increase the scale of what can be
done with grant funds.
7. PROMOTING
THE ENGLISH
LANGUAGE
7.1 In 1991-92, following the end of communism
in Central Europe, the British Council was given a recurrent £5
million addition to its grant-in-aid in order to meet the enormous
demand for English language teaching in the region. Since then
the Council has worked with the state education sector in several
countries to improve the quality of, and access to, English teaching.
7.2 Sustainable programmes of teacher education,
textbook design and curriculum reform have been established. English
has become the language that almost all young people choose to
learn. The programmes put in place have raised the quality of
teaching in the state and more recently the private sector. In
Poland alone, over 20,000 teachers have participated, and new
curricula and teaching materials have been introduced in all primary
and secondary schools.
7.3 The young people who have learned English
now use it to communicate with others of different nationalities.
They are encouraged into the British Council's information centres
and given the chance to absorb a rich cross-section of knowledge
and opinion. Some of the best of them come to study in Britain,
or are chosen by the Council to attend the European multilateral
conferences which it runs. The networks thus established have
helped to foster understanding, tolerance and an appreciation
of European ideas and ideals. The teachers who have been trained
have formed their own European networks, and these contacts have
helped to stimulate change across the system and in the teaching
of other subjects.
ELT PROGRAMMES IN
THE REGION
Bosnia
There is a critical lack of language skills amongst
professionals and business people, and of qualified English teachers
in schools. The Council offers professional development to teachers
through seminars and other activities (in association with Soros),
and supports them in establishing professional networks. This
has now resulted in the successful establishment of a free-standing
Bosnia-Herzegovina English Teachers' Association. In addition,
the Council provides English courses to the staff of Bosnian ministries
and international organisations, paid for by the organisations
themselves. These have proved very popular and this autumn the
Council has for the first time been unable to meet demand. A survey
undertaken by the Council suggests that there is a market for
similar services in Banja Luka. In Sarajevo there is a growing
public demand for language courses. The Council's global investment
budget for educational enterprises cannot currently cover a new
teaching centre in Sarajevo, but the Council will remain ready
to respond if and when this situation changes.
Bulgaria
In the past year, 80 state sector teachers of
English have been trained as trainee teacher mentors. This will
also strengthen the links between the tertiary and secondary sectors.
The programme was presented and well received by peer groups at
two international meetings outside the country. 35 teacher trainers
were trained in Action Research. 125 state sector teachers attended
Council-managed courses in English for young learners, communication
practice, English across the curriculum, teaching business English
or teaching cultural studies. 12 teachers were trained in the
UK on teaching English to young learners, English for specific
purposes or multi-media studies. Meanwhile the market for courses
at the Council's own teaching centre in Sofia continues to expand.
7.4 Using similar methods, the UK could
now help people achieve real and lasting change in South East
Europe. New resources, some of which have already been identified,
will be used as follows.
— English language teacher training
and professional development in Kosovo, Albania, Macedonia and
Yugoslavia.
— Summer schools for teachers of English:
up to two hundred teachers to be sent to the UK during the summer
each year.
— English language summer courses for
students. The British Council would like to send 1,000 students
aged 16-22 to the UK each year for one month.
— General English courses: a series
of simple, low cost and transportable English courses which can
be delivered to the public wherever there is a need.
8. PROMOTING
UK EDUCATION
8.1 A common feature throughout the region
is the desire of young people for educational opportunity at home
or abroad. This is likely to be strong enough in most cases to
overcome feelings of resentment against Britain where they exist.
Increasingly, this is something which parents are willing to pay
for on behalf of their children.
8.2 All the British Council's libraries
and information centres provide impartial advice to those wishing
to study, or send their children to study, in the UK. In many
countries the Council provides internet access for the public
as the most efficient means of helping them obtain the information
they need; but in South East Europe resources have hitherto been
too limited to offer this service in every centre.
8.3 There has been steady growth in the
market for British examinations. This is important because each
additional candidate for an exam is another individual recognising
UK qualifications as a gateway to opportunity. For example, between
1995 and 1998 numbers of candidates in Croatia rose from 668 to
2,073, a cumulative growth of 210 per cent (with 46 per cent growth
in the last year alone—making this the sixth fastest growing
market in the world, in percentage terms). Over the same period,
cumulative growth for Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania
together was even higher, at 301 per cent.
ACCESS TO
UK EDUCATION
Serbia
In the year before the conflict, the British
Council began to develop a successful placement scheme, aimed
at helping students to find places on language courses in Britain.
This scheme complemented the education information and advice
service already offered by the Council's library. The numbers
of enquiries exceeded expectation in the first year. Although
the Council is currently unable to open officially in Belgrade,
it will go ahead with the administration of Cambridge English
exams in December.
Macedonia
There were 12,000 enquiries at the British Council
information centre in the last year, of which exactly half were
educational. In order to cater for this demand and to encourage
more young people to use the Council's services, a limited refurbishment
of the information centre has taken place, including, for the
first time, publicly accessible computers through which customers
can retrieve information centre British education through the
worldwide web. There is a growing demand for British examinations,
and also for English language placements in UK. These are being
managed on a self-funding basis.
8.4 The British Council wishes to do more
to exploit the education market throughout the region and to encourage
study in the UK. Its proposals include:
— management courses by Distance Learning
for both public and private sectors; and
— Young Professionals Scholarship Programme,
offering at least 75 awards each year to complement the Chevening
scheme.
9. DEVELOPING
EUROPEAN CULTURAL
AND INTELLECTUAL
EXCHANGE
9.1 Despite other predictable passions there
are already signs that the Serbian intelligentsia is hungry to
re-establish links with the "civilised and educated world"
and to be re-admitted to the concert of Europe. Throughout the
region, better understanding between professionals in all fields
is an essential part of rebuilding confidence.
9.2 After so many years of isolation, Albania
must now be brought into European cultural, educational and other
networks. Professionals and intellectuals above all need contact
with and acceptance by their peers in other countries and to develop
a sense of their own dignity within Europe. The arts structure
needs to be reformed and institutions and individuals need to
be encouraged to develop and to take a full part in European arts
networks. Young people must be made to feel more valued and engaged,
and their lives less intellectually dull.
9.3 In Bulgaria, public opinion has not
echoed the Government's support to NATO. That support, and its
recognition in EU countries, has left Bulgaria with the hope that
speed of movement into European institutions will be accelerated.
The Council's opinion poll indicates an enthusiasm for closer
ties within Europe as a means of reducing tension, and a belief
that Bulgaria's future lies with the EU.
9.4 In Romania, the younger generation has
already benefited from the Council's work and the best of it is
already Western-leaning, liberal, intelligent, and used to the
kinds of debate and interchange which it is envisaged could be
provided for the rest of the region. This generation should be
seen as a resource as well as a beneficiary of future programmes.
9.5 More widely, there is a general need
and appetite for a new quality of debate about European issues.
In Macedonia, for example, current understanding of the implications
of EU membership or association is low, both among the leaders
and opinion-formers of society, and among the general public.
9.6 The British Council is well placed to
contribute to the process of building relationships multilaterally
as well as with the UK. This is a frequent feature of its existing
academic links programmes and science joint research projects,
its European networking conferences, and its work managing EU-funded
projects. Increasingly, the Council is making use of the internet
to facilitate communication between professionals (for example
the ELTECS network of language teachers).
BUILDING BRIDGES
BETWEEN INSTITUTIONS
IN EUROPE
Croatia
The country does not yet have access to EU programmes
such as PHARE. This makes it important that the British Council
support the Ministry of Science to keep lines of communication
open with the outside world by supporting joint research programmes
between British and Croatian academics, and bilateral workshops
in areas which are priorities for both countries. As well as contributing
to the achievement of the Council's general aim in Croatia, this
will place British institutions in a good position to take advantage
of EU-funded opportunities when they materialise.
Albania
As a first step in helping to establish closer
cultural relations between Albania and the UK, at the request
of the Minister of Culture the Council funded a visit by Edi Muka,
adviser to the Minister, to the Edinburgh Showcase, where he was
able to see some of the latest and best British theatre productions.
It is intended to follow this up with an enhanced programme of
performing arts events in Albania.
9.7 Proposals for further work include:
— university links supporting joint
projects with UK universities, aiming to create enduring contact
and friendship and to lead to proposals for multilateral funding
where available; and
— debating European issues: a series
of multilateral events aiming to increase the quality of debate
about the future of the region, its relationship to the rest of
Europe and the type of society which this implies.
10. POSITIONING
THE UK AS
A PARTNER
IN TACKLING
KEY REFORM
AGENDAS
10.1 The process of educational and civil
institution building is a principal concern for all countries,
and those who lead the process are people with whom the British
Council can expect to engage.
10.2 Educational systems need reform and
support. They start—in Albania for example—from a
basis of isolation and weakness, exacerbated by the recent influx
of refugees. To have impact in depth in the countries concerned
it is essential to work in the state systems of education. The
universities have traditionally been powerhouses of influence
in the Balkans. Contributing to their future development is crucial.
Human resource development and building capacity are clear and
obvious needs.
10.3 In Croatia the education system is
heavily biased and the current administration offers no room for
foreign involvement. But when the government eventually changes,
liberalisation may occur, at which point the British Council will
be ready to bring the Ministry of Education into contact with
UK expertise.
10.4 The Council's work can help build a
civil society both directly through projects (eg assisting women's
groups and NGOs or providing public administration training) and
indirectly through information, education and the arts, with an
emphasis on the tolerance and diversity of UK society.
10.5 As well as managing a wide range of
Know How Fund projects in Central Europe, the Council has been
successful in winning contracts funded by the EU for various reform
projects. The Council will continue to bid for client-funded contracts
whenever appropriate.
ASSISTING REFORM
Kosovo
The British Council commissioned Lynn Davies,
Professor of International Education at Birmingham University,
to research into the state of the education system in Kosovo,
both before and after the conflict. Prof Davies' report, which
contains thorough background information, is now being circulated
to many of the British and international organisations who are
involved in rebuilding education in the province, in the hope
that this will help them to focus their efforts on a common agenda.
Montenegro
On behalf of the Know-How Fund, the Council
has been managing a wide-ranging administration and media reform
project entitled "I Believe in Myself". This project
was jointly funded by the Montenegrin government, and had the
support of the Prime Minister and other senior ministers, some
of whom took part in the training, which was provided by the Civil
Service College and the Thomson Foundation. Immediately after
the end of the conflict the Montenegrins approached the British
Council with a request for a second phase of the project, for
which they have already allocated money. Arrangements are now
being made for this to happen with co-funding from the Council.
10.6 The Council would use additional funds
to accomplish some of the following in South East Europe:
— British centres for civil society
initiatives, to provide a meeting space and communication facilities
for local NGOs;
— a programme to improve the responsiveness
of local government to people's needs and its ability to allocate
resources appropriately; and
— a programme focusing on women's rights
and public policy, by supporting and expanding the existing "KARAT"
network of women's NGOs, and linking them to their UK counterparts.
11. CHANGING
PERCEPTIONS OF
THE UK
11.1 The British Council seeks to project
the creativity and cultural diversity of the UK and to challenge
outmoded stereotypes. It currently does this through arts events
targeted mainly at young people, through its libraries and information
centres and by managing the FCO Chevening scholarship scheme.
In Croatia, the Council also collaborates with the Ministry of
Science to encourage joint research links and workshops in subjects
of bilateral importance.
11.2 Arts events, mainly targeted at young
audiences, are a common feature of all operations in the region.
However, the extent to which they are possible varies greatly:
in Romania and Bulgaria there are already wide ranging programmes,
including literature and design; but elsewhere much less is done.
In Albania, for example, it has only been possible to support
one small scale arts event each year.
11.3 Familiarity with the UK, and the consequent
appreciation of the values and practices of a civil society, is
most obviously achieved by giving young people the opportunity
to come here. There are at present only very limited means to
do this for South East Europe (mainly the FCO Chevening scholarships).
PROJECTING THE
UK'S CREATIVITY
THROUGH THE
ARTS
British Days in Romania
The British Council has worked closely with
the Embassy to create a festival intended to raise the profile
of the UK as Romania's partner in Europe. An impressive range
of events has been organised, including the best of contemporary
British music, theatre, film, literature and visual arts. The
programme has covered several provincial cities as well as Bucharest.
New Hope in Kosovo
The arts are coming back to life in Kosovo,
as the province begins its return to normality. The British Council
has begun its contribution to this process by giving sponsorship
to the "Return" festival of music and drama organised
in Pristina by Vanessa Redgrave and Bill Kenwright. The Council
is also supporting a joint UK—Kosovo production of Hamlet,
and currently planning a series of activities for children.
11.4 Given the necessary resources, the
Council would now propose to set up a range of regional programmes
including:
— projects to link artistic groups
and institutions in the UK and South East Europe, to help create
a sustainable cultural infrastructure, and to stress themes of
diversity and partnership;
— a strategic film fund to enable local
film-makers to tell their own stories with British financial,
technical and post-production expertise;
— UK television programmes for local
broadcast free of charge, to reach a mass audience with four hours
per week to an eclectic, intelligent and resolutely non-propagandist
programming mix; and
— programmes for young people, utilising
the energy and commitment of schools and other institutions and
groups in the UK: for example, linking 60 secondary schools in
the UK and South East Europe, with a target population of 1,800
from each side and up to 450 students visiting the UK.
11.5 British Council libraries and information
centres have also traditionally been part of the bedrock of the
UK's influence. As well as providing relevant information about
the contemporary UK, they support the learning of English and
study of other subjects. Once again, these vary in scope from
country to country. In Romania and Bulgaria there are large and
heavily used libraries and a network of regional centres. There
are also popular libraries in Croatia and Serbia (although the
latter is still closed). But in Albania and Macedonia the Council's
small information centres have so far been unable to reach their
full potential. The Council would like to improve all its existing
centres and open new ones in Pristina, Banja Luka, Novi Sad and
Nis.
INFORMATION CENTRES
Bosnia
The Council now has a thriving information centre
(membership doubled to over 500 in the past year and is expected
to do so again) providing resources for English teachers, books
for students and information about Britain for a wider public.
It is, and is likely to continue to be, the only English language
resource of its kind in Bosnia. Requests for UK educational information
are steadily increasing. The market for British examinations is
still small but numbers of enquiries suggest that this is set
to grow rapidly.
Croatia
In a society where the media, in particular
the broadcast media, are controlled, the access we provide to
independent information is another means of keeping people in
contact with the ideas of others. The library in Zagreb, information
service (provided in co-operation with the Embassy) in split,
and postal loan service to the rest of the country enable the
British Council also to counter the negative images of the UK
sometimes portrayed in Croatia.
12. CONCLUSION
12.1 The British Council is contributing
to the process of change in South East Europe through its existing
country programmes and through a small amount of additional grant-in-aid
allocated since the Kosovo conflict. It has numerous proposals
for a more significant contribution to Britain's influence on
the region but lacks the resources to implement these.
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