Annex A
COUNTRY INFORMATION
NAME OF
COUNTRY: ALBANIA
Council Presence: Information Centre—Tirana
Name of British Council Director/Country Manager: Elsona
Agolli
Number of Staff: Two local staff
Total Budget (including grant in aid component): £103,000
Grant in Aid component of Total Budget: £99,000
KEY PROGRAMMES:
1. To project the UK's creativity, cultural
diversity and recent achievements, and to challenge outmoded stereotypes
of the UK abroad by:
Providing up-to-date and attractive information
about Britain, tailored to the interests and needs particularly
of the young and ambitious in Tirana.
Increasing centre membership from 100 to 700
over the triennium.
Developing our World Wide Web site and extending
its use by linking it to the Embassy web site.
In the case of a limited number of important
people (for example, ministers and their advisers), offering them
specific information from the UK to support their work.
Putting on at least one arts event a year which
will appeal to a wide variety of people including young people,
and which will reflect the Britain of today.
Using our Centre to show modern Britain by arranging
events (lectures, small exhibitions, film shows) as opportunities
present themselves.
Through the Chevening Fellowships Scheme, giving
well-chosen young people the opportunity to study Britain and
experience our country at first hand.
2. To build the UK's role as a leading provider
of educational opportunity for people overseas by:
Giving advice to those who are interested in
studying in the UK for short or long periods.
Making British examinations available in Albania.
MAIN OPINION
POLL FINDINGS
Positive
Albania is the most optimistic country in the
region.
Extraordinary increase in UK's popularity since
the Kosovo conflict, among all groups.
Unlike other countries, people recognise the
need for assistance with democracy and the legal system as well
as business management and language training.
UK is seen as best country to help with language
training.
Although more people know Italian or Greek at
present, most would prefer to learn English.
Negative
Fewer people familiar with UK than Italy, US,
or Germany; and hardly any know about Scotland, Wales or N Ireland.
Only 3 per cent look to UK for help with democracy
(US = 84 per cent), 4 per cent for legal system, public administration
or opportunities for the young (US = 56 per cent, 54 per cent,
55 per cent respectively).
People would prefer to study in the US or Germany
than in the UK.
NAME OF
COUNTRY: BOSNIA
AND HERZEGOVINA
Council Presence: Directorate—Sarajevo
Name of British Council Director/Country Manager: Clare
Newton
Number of Staff: Nine
Total Budget (including grant in aid component): £523,000
Grant in aid component of Total Budget: £317,000
KEY PROGRAMMES:
1. To promote wider and more effective learning
of the English language overseas, especially as a means of influencing
young people's views of the UK by:
Providing professional development for teachers,
and encouraging young people to improve their language skills
outside the school environment.
Assisting key local and international institutions
in improving the language skills of their Bosnian staff through
client-funded teaching programmes.
2. To build the UK's role as a leading provider
of educational opportunity for people overseas by:
Providing ELT resources and information about
the UK for an expanding membership in Sarajevo and through outreach
activities for potential customers elsewhere.
Stimulating interest in the UK and in studying
at UK institutions through provision of education and other information
particularly from electronic sources such as the WWW.
3. To project the UK's creativity, cultural
diversity and recent achievements, and to challenge outmoded stereotypes
of the UK abroad by:
Stimulating interest and challenging pre-conceptions
particularly amongst young people through support for a variety
of excellent British performers and practitioners.
Planning in collaboration with the British Embassy
a range of lively and inventive arts and education components
for a "Britain and Bosnià festival, June 2000.
4. To position the UK overseas as a committed
partner in tackling key reform agendas and promoting sustainable
development by:
Monitoring and pursuing opportunities in client-funded
projects to contribute UK expertise especially in governance,
minority rights and some aspects of economic development.
MAIN OPINION
POLL FINDINGS
Positive
More educated people think Bosnia's future is
tied to the EU rather than the US.
There is a general desire for international
co-operation in language teaching, opportunities for young people,
and exchange of information and knowledge. There is a much higher
perception of UK strengths in these areas in Republika Srpska.
Most people believe in the value of cultural
and educational links with EU countries as a factor in preventing
conflict.
There is an overwhelming preference for learning
English.
Negative
Relatively low familiarity with Scotland, Wales
and N Ireland, compared with the UK as a whole.
Opinion of the UK has got worse in Republika
Srpska after the conflict.
People in the Federation view the US as the
preferred partner in all areas.
The US is also much the preferred country for
overseas study.
NAME OF
COUNTRY: BULGARIA
Council Presence: Directorate—Sofia
Three regional resource centres.
Name of British Council Director/Country Manager: Kevin
Lewis
Number of Staff: 65
Total Budget (including grant in aid component): £2,304,000
Grant in Aid component of Total Budget: £946,000
KEY PROGRAMMES:
1. Promote wider and more effective learning
of the English language overseas, especially as a means of influencing
young people's views of the UK by:
Increasing teaching hours in our centres in
Sofia and Varna and undertaking a business case for a third centre
in Plovdiv.
Quantifying the extent of the ELT private sector
and establishing with the network a framework for self regulation
by 2001.
2. To project the UK's creativity, cultural
diversity and recent achievements, and to challenge outmoded stereotypes
of the UK abroad by:
A board exposition of high quality British arts
during the Plovdiv Month of European Culture in June 1999.
Encouraging Bulgarian and British artists to
work on collaborative events and Bulgarian arts promoters to present
them.
3. To position the UK overseas as a committed
partner in tackling key reform agendas and promoting sustainable
development by:
Developing partnerships between Bulgaria and
the UK in areas such as family law and minority rights; self-regulating
professional structures; academic standards; economic, social
and fiscal development.
Providing effective management of four projects
currently underway—Vocational Education, culture, Tourism
& JICAP and pursuing opportunities for new projects.
4. To build the UK's role as a leading provider
of educational opportunity for people overseas by:
Managing and developing a range of UK examinations
in Sofia and the six regional centres in Bulgaria to provide over
2,000 examinations in 1999-2000 and a target of 2,500 in 2001-02.
Establishing the capacity to respond effectively
to requests for information on educational courses in the UK during
1999-2000 and examining the feasibility of offering a self-funding
placement service.
5. To demonstrate the UK's commitment to strengthening
ties within Europe and developing European cultural and intellectual
exchange by:
Ensuring Bulgarian participation in European
networking programmes and other high profile pan-European events.
Providing support for British alumni networks.
MAIN OPINION
POLL FINDINGS
Positive
Young people are most favourable to the UK,
especially if well educated.
42 per cent think Bulgaria's future is linked
to the EU (the figure is higher among more educated people).
International co-operation is sought most in
information and knowledge (54 per cent), cultural links (54 per
cent) and business management (51 per cent).
67 per cent think that closer cultural links
with EU countries would help reduce tension and conflict.
Although more people already know Russian, most
would like to learn English.
Negative
Familiarity with the UK is low (34 per cent)
compared with Russian (62 per cent); familiarity with Scotland,
Wales or N. Ireland is only around 15 per cent.
There has been some decline in people's view
of the UK since the conflict, though 54 per cent opinion has stayed
the same.
Only 13 per cent think the UK can help with
European integration (Germany = 56 per cent).
Few people see the UK as a contributor in key
areas—language teaching scores highest at 23 per cent.
NAME OF
COUNTRY: CROATIA
Council Presence: Directorate—Zagreb
Name of British Council Director/Country Manager: Robin
Evans
Number of staff: 11
Total Budget (including grant in aid component): £688,000
Grant in Aid component of Total Budget: £432,000
KEY PROGRAMMES:
1. To project the UK's creativity, cultural
diversity and recent achievements, and to challenge outmoded stereotypes
of the UK abroad by:
Presenting a varied programme of British arts
events focusing on contemporary works and on areas which will
attract young audiences.
In co-operation with the Ministry of Science
and Technology, encouraging joint research links andbilateral
workshops in subjects of priority to the UK and Croatia.
Providing access to accurate, unbiased information
from the UK in response to the needs of influential groups and
individuals, including the successor generation, through our library
in Zagreb and information service in Split, and by circulating
book exhibitions and promoting the services of the British Library.
2. To promote wider and more effective learning
of the English language overseas especially as a means of influencing
young people's views of the UK, by:
Promoting and supporting quality in-service
teacher training through workshops, summer schools, and an annual
international conference.
3. To build the UK's role as a leading provider
of educational opportunity for people overseas, by:
Placing Croatian students in British ELT schools.
Managing an expanding programme of British ELT
exams.
MAIN OPINION
POLL FINDINGS
Positive
77 per cent of people were favourable to the
UK before the conflict, and most have improved their opinion.
43 per cent see Croatia's future linked to the
EU.
An overwhelming majority (78 per cent) think
closer cultural and educational links with EU countries can help
reduce tension and conflict. Even higher among young people.
English is the favourite foreign language (but
almost as many would like to learn German in future).
the UK is the second choice for overseas study
(8 per cent as opposed to US = 13 per cent).
Negative
Croatia is the most pessimistic country in the
region.
Only 52 per cent people familiar with the UK
and less than 25 per cent familiar with Scotland, Wales, N Ireland
(though nb a higher percentage than in other countries).
Only 18 per cent think the UK can help with
European integration (Germany = 69 per cent, US = 51 per cent).
Only 8 per cent think the UK can help in developing
democracy (US = 51 per cent); the UK is rated below the US in
all areas and below Germany in all except language and universities.
Over one third of Croatians neither read nor
speak a foreign language, and 40 per cent say they do not wish
to learn one.
NAME OF
COUNTRY: KOSOVO
(NOTE: THIS
OFFICE IS
FORMALLY PART
OF THE
YUGOSLAVIA DIRECTORATE
BUT CURRENTLY
MANAGED SEPARATELY)
Council Presence: Office—Pristina
Name of British Council Director/Country Manager: Stephanie
Carroll
Number of Staff: 1
Total Budget (including grant in aid component): £160,000
(est)
Grant in Aid component of Total Budget £160,000
(est)
KEY PROGRAMMES:
1. Promoting wider and more effective learning
of the English language by:
The British Council is in the process of designing
a teacher development and language training reform project.
2. Demonstrating that the UK is a committed
partner in tackling key economic and democratic reform agendas
overseas by:
The Council intends to support reform in the
education sector, starting from recommendations contained in the
recent report by Prof Lynn Davies. It is also exploring ways of
working with women's groups and the media sector.
3. Raising awareness of the UK's creativity,
cultural diversity and recent achievements by:
The Council expects to open a public information
centre in Pristina by March 2000. It will also work with local
arts groups to ensure that excellent examples of UK contemporary
performing arts and film can be made available to audiences in
Kosovo.
MAIN OPINION
POLL FINDINGS
Kosovo was not included in the survey.
NAME OF
COUNTRY: MACEDONIA
Council Presence: Information Centre—Skopje
Name of British Council Director/Country Manager: Borce
Nikolovski
Number of Staff: Four
Total Budget (including grant in aid component): £203,000
Grant in Aid component of Total Budget: £197,000
KEY PROGRAMMES:
1. Promoting wider and more effective learning
of the English language by:
Support for the new degree course on British
Cultural Studies at Skopje University with a resident British
adviser.
The management of an English Language Placement
Scheme for those wishing to study English in the UK.
2. Demonstrating that the UK is a committed
partner in tackling key economic and democratic reform agendas
overseas by:
Managing the business placement scheme in the
UK, the Joint Industrial and Commercial Attachments Programme
(JICAP) under the umbrella of the British government's Know How
Fund.
Support for the growth of responsible journalism
through advice from the Thompson Foundation.
3. Promoting the UK's role as a leading provider
of educational opportunity by:
The provision of information regarding British
education and training and consultancy services (over 12,000 educational
and general enquiries were answered in 1998-99).
As a centre for British examinations and the
provision of support to enable Macedonian students to study for
University of London external degrees.
4. Raising awareness of the UK's creativity,
cultural diversity and recent achievements by:
Support each year for at least one British arts
event in Macedonia.
Contributions each year to the International
Film Festival in Macedonia.
Support for the Annual Poetry Festival at Struga.
MAIN OPINION
POLL FINDINGS
Positive
71 per cent were favourable to the UK before
the conflict (but fewer than favoured US, Germany or France).
International co-operation is most wanted for
language teaching (61 per cent), business management (57 per cent)
and information and knowledge (56 per cent). Scores for all areas,
except cultural links, consistently higher among ethnic Albanians.
74 per cent of all ethnic groups believe closer
cultural ties with EU countries would help reduce tension.
English is the best known foreign language and
the one most want to learn (51 per cent).
Negative
Fewer than one third are familiar with the UK
(reduced to 15 per cent among ethnic Albanians); only 12 per cent
familiar with Scotland, Wales or N Ireland.
Since the conflict, opinion of the UK has got
much worse among ethnic Macedonians (59 per cent) but much better
among ethnic Albanians (82 per cent).
Only 37 per cent see Macedonia's future directed
towards the EU (the proportion is higher among ethnic Macedonians.
Only 24 per cent think the UK can help European
integration (51 per cent say the US; 46 per cent Germany).
The US is favoured as a partner in all areas,
an opinion much more pronounced among ethnic Albanians.
The UK scores worst as a country which could
help develop democracy (7 per cent) business management (6 per
cent) or cultural links (7 per cent)—below the US, Germany
and, in the last case, Greece.
The UK is rated below the US and Germany as
a destination for overseas study.
NAME OF
COUNTRY: ROMANIA
Council Presence: Directorate—Bucharest
5 regional libraries
Name of British Council Director/Country Manager: Helen
Meixner
Number of Staff: 54
Total Budget (including grant in aid component): £2,000,000
Grant in Aid component of Total Budget: £1,323,000
KEY PROGRAMMES:
1. To promote wider and more effective learning
of the English language overseas, especially as a means of influencing
young people's views of the UK, by:
Continuing to provide effective language advice
throughout the country and across the education system while encouraging
Romanians to take more responsibility.
Giving ELT professionals use of the best materials
available through our ELT resource centre in Bucharest and libraries
in provincial cities.
Ensuring that the network established of those
who work in ELT in Romania, which has assured mutual support and
encouragement and the power to lobby, continues to flourish.
Finishing the production of the modern ELT textbook
series being written with Oxford University Press and securing
its wide use by training teachers and evaluating its effectiveness.
Opening a centre aimed in particular at young
ambitious professionals which will provide English language teaching
of excellence.
2. To project the UK's creativity, cultural
diversity and recent achievements, and to challenge outmoded stereotypes
of the UK abroad by:
Encouraging more links between Romanian and
UK schools.
Making available a wide variety of information
material about the UK through the Council's six (soon to be seven
libraries)
Bringing attractive and accessible examples
of British arts to Romania, in particular using the British Festival
(Autumn 1999) as a platform for modern and multicultural music.
Promoting British design by supporting the trade
events in the British Festival and by the fit out of the new building.
3. To position the UK overseas as a committed
partner in tackling key reform agendas and promoting sustainable
development by:
Working closely with the Ministry of Education
and giving influential Romanian educationists, including the Minister,
the opportunity to see and understand the British education system,
thereafter helping them to implement appropriate reforms.
Improving the position of women in Romania,
working with non-Governmental organisations to establish their
needs and to scope a resultant project, and with the universities
to establish gender studies as a recognised module in undergraduate
curricula.
Supporting the Ministry of Culture in the reform
of cultural management.
4. To build the UK's role as a leading provider
or educational opportunity for people overseas by:
Promoting British education through specific
events held in every important city in Romania during 1999-2001.
Establishing a core collection of local directories
on the academic and book trade markets which will be available
to businessmen.
Establishing a UK education placement service
in 1999-2000.
Running the first British education fair as
part of the Autumn British festival.
Supporting the Open University MBA course in
Romania, and using every opportunity to promote and help other
British distance learning courses to become established.
5. To demonstrate the UK's commitment to strengthening
ties within Europe and developing European cultural and intellectual
exchange by:
Using skills built up during earlier projects
to improve the professional and communication abilities of those
involved in the legal integration of Romania into the European
Union.
Training Romanian universities to use the European
credit transfer system.
Organising a small European networking conference
on a theme related to human rights and conflict resolution in
the financial year 2000-01.
Making other European networking conferences
available to Romanian young professionals.
MAIN OPINION
POLL FINDINGS
Positive
44 per cent are familiar with the UK—the
figure increases among young people.
75 per cent have a favourable opinion of the
UK though more at all ages favour France (81 per cent).
31 per cent see Romania's future linked to the
EU (higher among younger people).
Areas most desired for international co-operation
are language teaching (78 per cent), knowledge and information
(77 per cent) and democracy (71 per cent).
83 per cent think that closer cultural ties
with EU countries would help reduce tension and conflict.
32 per cent want to learn English (French is
only the fourth choice foreign language).
Negative
Romanians are pessimistic about their future.
Only about 25 per cent are at all familiar with
Scotland, Wales or N Ireland.
25 per cent have a worse opinion of the UK since
the Balkan conflict, though young people tend to be more favourable.
Only 24 per cent mentioned the UK as a country
to help with European integration (France—61 per cent).
The UK comes behind the US in all areas as a
perceived partner, and behind France in all except language teaching.
The UK is only the fourth choice of country
for overseas study.
NAME OF
COUNTRY: YUGOSLAVIA
Council Presence: Directorate—Belgrade
Information Centre: Podgorica
Name of British Council Director/Country Manager:
Michael Sargent (currently in UK)
Number of Staff: 24
Total Budget (including grant in aid component): £952,000
Grant in Aid component of Total Budget: £544,000
KEY PROGRAMMES:
Note 1: The British Council office and library
in Belgrade have been closed since the commencement of the NATO
bombing; currently the Yugoslav government is not allowing the
re-opening of foreign cultural institutes. When it is possible
to operate again in Yugoslavia the key programmes will focus particularly
on building long-term relationships between young people in Yugoslavia
and the United Kingdom and on helping to create a civil society,
through:
Promoting wider and more effective learning
of the English language.
Support for the development of an active
civil society and democratic institution.
Promoting the UK's role as a leading provider
of educational opportunity.
Raising awareness of the UK's creativity,
cultural diversity and recent achievements.
Providing access to British knowledge and
values through books and information.
Note 2: The British Council's Information
Centre in Podgorica (which is part of the Yugoslavia Directorate)
closed at the beginning of the NATO bombing. It reopened in August.
Its key programmes are:
1. Providing access to British knowledge
and values through books and information.
The provision of up-to-date and attractive information
about Britain, tailored to the interests and needs particularly
of the young in Podgorica.
2. Support for the development of an active
civil society and democratic institutions.
The management of the I Believe in Myself programme,
jointly funded by the Government of Montegro and the Department
for International Development to improve public administration.
Seminars on democracy run by the University
of Westminster.
MAIN OPINION
POLL FINDINGS
(SERBIA)
Positive
60 per cent were favourable to the UK before
the conflict (Greece—83 per cent), especially young people.
Main areas for international co-operation are
seen as: opportunities for young people (51 per cent), business
management (48 per cent) and knowledge and information (48 per
cent).
The UK is seen as the best country to help with
language teaching (35 per cent) and scores well also in school
and university education.
68 per cent say that cultural links with EU
countries would help reduce tension and conflict.
68 per cent wish to learn English.
The UK is the second choice destination to send
one's children for study overseas.
Negative
62 per cent say their country is heading in
the wrong direction.
50 per cent are not familiar with the UK and
only about 15 per cent know anything about Scotland, Wales or
N Ireland.
65 per cent say their opinion of the UK has
got worse since the conflict.
Only 24 per cent see Serbia's future linked
to the EU (Russia—38 per cent) but this figure increases
significantly among better educated people.
Only 10 per cent think the UK can help with
European integration (Greece—40 per cent).
I live with my family of 17 members. Nobody
in my family can get work. Very often we don't have bread on the
table and as I am at school I'm very often lacking notebooks and
pens.
Although we live in bad conditions, we find
time and possibilities to learn. Our teachers come into the classroom
with old clothes because their conditions are very bad as well.
In our classrooms we are often without chalk
and we don't have any heating. But our teachers have a great will
to teach us so we have a great success.
We decided to overcome our situation. Our love
for education and thirst for freedom is enormous.
I wish that all children all over the world
will not have my kind of childhood. I wish them and their families
to be happy.
Arberije (14 years)
From Rupert Loydell (ed) (1998) Voices for
Kosovo Children's Aid Direct.
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