APPENDIX 2
Supplementary memorandum submitted by
The British Council
INTRODUCTION
This paper outlines the Council's proposals
for additional funding in the 2000 Spending Review. The proposals
are grouped under four themes:
— reputation—building a more
influential Britain;
— exports—building a more prosperous
Britain;
— Europe—building a stronger Europe;
— reform—building a fairer world.
In addition to the Council's proposals, a joint
proposal with the BBC World Service has been developed and is
outlined briefly at the end of the paper.
REPUTATION
Enhancing the UK's reputation is fundamental
to the Council's purpose and to our role as the UK's principal
agency for cultural relations with other countries. The proposals
under this theme principally support the FCO's objective to improve
perceptions of the UK and maximise UK influence worldwide.
The proposals fall into three categories:
— expanding the impact of UK knowledge,
ideas and learning on target audiences overseas.
— projecting the UK's creativity and
innovation through major promotional campaigns in collaboration
with the FCO and other UK partners;
— establishing new directorates and
strengthening operations in key countries in support of UK political
and economic interests.
Expanding the impact of UK knowledge and ideas
The Council will develop and implement an integrated
knowledge and communications strategy over the next spending period
which will enable key overseas audiences (especially opinion formers
and young professionals) to access information, acquire new skills
and engage in debate on issues relevant to UK interests.
There will be two main elements to the strategy:
— establishing a network of knowledge
and learning centres providing high quality facilities for interaction
between overseas audiences and their UK counterparts;
— creating virtual communities which
share ideas and information on the web.
Knowledge and learning centres
The Knowledge and learning centres will be targeted
at young professionals and will provide a range of services including:
— Internet access to the best UK information
resources. This will enable users to get up-to-date information
from the UK and allow participation in interactive debates, and
web forums. Internet access will be integrated with other electronic
resources (eg CD-ROM databases) and backed up with print materials.
— Videoconferencing facilities providing
links with other Council centres and with UK and international
partners, such as research institutions, think tanks and NGOs.
This will enable real-time conferences and seminars to take place
between groups in different countries and will build on the content
of the Council's International Networking Events programme. The
Council will work with partners such as the BBC and the European
Commission in organising the events, which will be followed by
web-forums and debates. In selected countries, the centres will
be tied into the World Bank Global Distance Learning Network and
used to deliver short courses and seminars to key officials and
NGO staff.
— Multi-media spaces providing a venue
for meetings and virtual exhibitions to highlight UK creativity
in the arts, promote British education and showcase other aspects
of contemporary UK. These will be made available to UK organisations
and companies to hire for local events.
— Distance learning zones to support
the delivery of UK distance learning overseas. The zones will
contain relevant collections of electronic and print resources,
provide access to the internet, supply articles through web-based
services such as the British Library's inside, provide space for
study and consultation, and an information brokering service to
local libraries. The zones will also be used to promote UK distance
learning and will be developed in partnership with UK higher education
institutions.
The knowledge and learning centres will be particularly
effective in countries with limited access to information and
communication technologies. In such countries, they will be marketed
to target audiences as centres for international dialogue and
access to global knowledge. In countries with better web access,
the emphasis will be on videoconferencing and knowledge exchange.
The knowledge and learning centres will range
in size and complexity. Larger centres, with substantial content,
high quality connectivity and IT, and specialist staff, will operate
as hubs, providing services across several core subjects and supporting
smaller satellite centres, with more limited resources and more
focus, which may be located in partner premises.
The development of knowledge and learning centres
will be rolled out over a number of years. The focus initially
will be on Africa and South Asia, where the Council has extensive
traditional information networks. It is proposed that 60 centres
are established over the spending period.
Creating Virtual Communities
The Council will set up global and country-specific
networks on issues relating to its core sectors and on which the
UK wishes to influence overseas opinion. The objective will be
to create virtual communities which share ideas and information
through the internet. This part of the strategy will be particularly
effective in reaching target audiences in countries with good
connectivity to the web, though the knowledge and learning centres
could be used to provide access in other countries.
Examples of existing networks which the Council
has initiated and which will be developed further as part of this
programme include:
— Montage—an education network
which involves the development of joint curriculum projects and
the sharing of ideas and experience between teachers and students
in the UK, Australia and a further 60 countries.
— Commonwealth Voices—a web-based
discussion forum, launched at CHOGM in 1999, aimed at strengthening
civil society throughout the Commonwealth involving UK and other
NGOs working in governance and human rights.
— INDEV—a portal web site managed
by the Council in India in collaboration with One World onLine
where information on development issues is collated, organised
and made available to the development community.
— Other virtual communities will be
developed in sectors such as ELT, British studies and the arts.
The Council's principal web site will be re-engineered
to support the network of knowledge and learning centres and to
serve as an umbrella for the virtual communities. Other delivery
mechanisms, such as a CD-ROM database of UK resources, will also
be developed as part of the knowledge and communications strategy.
The knowledge and communications strategy will
play a crucial role in projecting the UK abroad and shaping perceptions
of the UK, particularly among the wider informed young public.
It will demonstrate the UK's commitment to developing a strong
international community and also provide opportunities for people
in the UK, especially young people, to engage with their counterparts
overseas.
Major Perception Changing Campaigns
The Council will play a key role in the planning
and implementation of a series of major promotional campaigns,
initiated by FCO Panel 2000, aimed at changing perceptions of
the UK in priority countries. The campaigns, targeted at carefully
defined audiences in each country, will last between 3-12 months
and will showcase the UK's creativity and innovation through a
series of high profile events and other programmes covering the
arts and creative industries, science and technology, sport, the
media and contemporary British society. Impact will be measured
by market research undertaken before and after each campaign.
Plans are already being developed for UK in
New York in 2001 and FCO Panel 2000 will shortly be identifying
countries for campaigns in subsequent years (expected to include
China and Brazil). The Council will work closely with the FCO,
British Trade International, BTA, the Design Council and private
sector partners in the planning and implementation of each campaign,
building on its experience of working on new Images in Australia
and similar programmes.
In raising the profile of the UK, particularly
its creativity and innovation, the campaigns are expected to generate
increased sales of UK goods and services, attract more visitors
to the UK (as tourists, students and business visitors), encourage
more inward investment to the UK and enhance the UK's reputation
among opinion formers, decision makers and the wider, informed
public (especially young people).
Projecting UK Science and Technology
The Council will put together a series of large-scale
events aimed at strengthening the UK's reputation in science and
technology. The events will be organised around topics which directly
challenge negative perceptions of UK science as revealed by market
research and will be targeted at the wider, informed public (especially
young people). Possible topics include "Democratic Science"—looking
at the UK's approach to addressing the social and ethical issues
surrounding scientific advances, and Sci-Art"—exploring
the interaction of art and technology in contemporary British
Art. In each case, the core event will be designed to establish
the UK's credibility in the chosen topic and may be a major exhibition,
a world-class conference or a high-profile joint project. However,
a wide range of other activities will be built around the core
event to reach a wider audience. These associated activities may
include a web site, local radio and TV programmes, a school link
project, publications, poster sets etc.
The events will be organised in collaboration
with centres of excellence in group 1 and 2 countries, and will
involve other UK partners including the Science Museum, the Wellcome
Foundation, the Royal Society, the BBC World Service and private
sector companies (both as participants and sponsors).
Apart from raising the profile of UK science,
the events will support the export of high technology products
and services from the UK, encourage inward investment to the UK
(particularly in R&D industries) and attract international
students to take advanced degree courses in UK institutions.
Strengthening ties with Iran
The Council will build up its operations in
Iran from the modest presence which will be established in 2000-01
with the attachment of a country director to the British embassy
in Tehran. The UK has substantial political and economic interests
in Iran, which exerts a powerful influence in the Middle East
and the Caucasus, and controls 9 per cent of the world's oil and
15 per cent of its gas reserves. With a large and growing population
of 65 million, it is becoming a key export market for the UK.
About 1,500 Iranians are presently studying in the UK and there
is a large and unsatisfied demand for access to British education
and training resources, and to the English language. A Council
presence is seen by the FCO as an essential component in the normalisation
of bilateral relations and will also support the British policy
of encouragement to moderate and reformist forces in the country.
The directorate will focus on the promotion
of UK education and training, the administration of British examinations,
and support for English language teaching. It will also use a
range of other grant-funded programmes to give substance to the
"dialogue of civilisations" which President Khatami
has called for between Iran and the West.
Significant additional resources will be required
to achieve impact in a country the size of Iran, where once the
Council had its second largest directorate after India. This proposal
will enable the creation of an operation comparable in size to
Saudi Arabia or Egypt. In addition to establishing a Council centre
in Tehran, it assumes the beginning of teaching operations in
2001-02.
The objective will be to establish the UK as
the market leader in the provision of higher education overseas
and to establish British examinations as the principal internationally
recognised qualifications in Iran. The increase in student numbers
to the UK will create a growing body of influential Iranians with
links to the UK and the Council's support for more moderate forces
in the government will create a climate favourable to British
political and commercial interests.
Building Links with Libya
The Council will establish operations in Libya
in 2001-02, building on whatever small-scale presence it is able
to fund through re-deployment within existing budgets in 2000-01.
As the only country in the Mahgreb where English is the second
language, and the one with the greatest economic potential, Libya
is of considerable importance to the UK. It has very substantial
oil and gas deposits, and major British commercial and financial
interests are poised to exploit the opportunities in the country.
There are over 5,000 British residents in Libya and several thousand
Libyans studying in the UK.
The directorate will focus initially on information
services and education export promotion, including the recruitment
of international students and education and training reform. There
may also be scope for examinations work and for teaching English.
A Council operation in Tripoli will assist in the normalisation
of UK relations with Libya, leading to greater stability in the
Mediterranean region. It will increase the number of Libyan students
coming to the UK and help create a supportive environment for
British political and commercial interests in Libya.
Supporting UK Interests in Central Asia and the
South Caucasus
The Council will develop its operations in Central
Asia and the South Caucasus by strengthening its existing programmes
in the region, establishing new operations initially, in Armenia
and then in Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan, and upgrading its centre
in Georgia. The long-term political isolation of all countries
in the region has meant that there is generally limited knowledge
of the UK. However, with the UK's growing political and commercial
interests in the countries of the former Soviet Union, the Council
is well-placed to support the work of the FCO by encouraging progress
towards democratic and economic reform, increasing awareness and
respect for human rights, and raising knowledge of the UK and
the English language.
The Foreign Affairs Committee noted the modest
scale of the Council's operation in the region and recommended
that additional funding be provided to enable the Council to open
"a properly resourced and permanent presence" in Armenia,
Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan. Additional funding will be used to
provide enhanced support for English language teaching, to expand
the Council's information services and to develop new programmes
in the area of governance and civil society. Particular emphasis
will be given to working with young people, both through the arts
and by promoting access to UK education through government, private
sector and other training schemes.
The Council's operations will strengthen UK
ties with the region, helping to create a better environment for
UK business and to support the reform process.
EXPORTS
The Council is playing an increasingly important
role in the promotion of UK exports in education and the creative
industries. Both activities build on its record of supporting
international co-operation in education and arts. The proposals
under this theme support the FCO's objectives to increase the
prosperity of the UK and to promote greater use of British goods
and services.
The proposals fall into four categories:
— attracting more international students
to the UK;
— expanding the UK's outreach in China;
— developing opportunities for UK education
exports;
— promoting the UK's creative industries;
Attracting more International Students to the
UK
The Council is committed to working with the
DfEE and other partners to take forward the Prime Minister's initiative
to attract more international students to the UK. The initiative
aims to increase the UK's share of the international higher education
student market from 17 per cent to 25 per cent by 2005 and to
double the number of further education students taking courses
offered by UK institutions by the same date. The Council has been
given lead responsibility for the development of a brand for UK
education and for its implementation in an international marketing
campaign.
The campaign will focus on eight priority markets
(Malaysia, Singapore, China and Hong Kong, India, Brazil, Russia
and Japan) with increased promotional activities in Australia,
Brunei, Cyprus, the Gulf States, Indonesia, Kenya, Korea, Mexico,
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, USA and Vietnam.
The government departments and other organisations
(including the Council) involved in the PM's initiative have undertaken
to identify £1.5 million a year for the three years from
2000-01 to 2002-03 to fund the marketing campaign. At this stage,
however, the funding is not yet secured. The Council believes
that considerably more money will be required for each year of
the plan period (2001-02 to 2003-04) if the campaign is to be
implemented fully and effectively. There is a considerable risk
otherwise that the ambitious targets set for the campaign may
not be achieved. Our proposal, therefore, is for additional funding
to be made available for the marketing campaign underpinning the
PM's initiative.
The funding will strengthen and complement the
current spending proposals being co-ordinated by the DfEE steering
group. A specific market development plan will be developed and
implemented for each country. This will include promotional and
media advertising campaigns, promotional materials development,
institutional visiting programmes, British Education fairs, missions
from the UK, enhanced counselling services and other local initiatives.
Funding will also support a programme of study tour visits to
the UK by key influencers of student destinations, eg graduate
student advice officers, career advisers at school level, education
agents, education journalists, and scholarship programme officials.
The objective will be to enhance the network of key influencers
who were positive and well informed on UK choices.
The projected increase in international students
resulting from the campaign will generate an estimated £700
million a year in additional revenue for the UK. It will add significantly
to the number of potential decision-makers and opinion-formers
with UK ties and lead indirectly to increased exports, tourism
and influence for the UK. Furthermore, a competitive, world-class
education system will greatly improve the quality and international
dimension of education for UK students.
Expanding the UK's Outreach in China
The Council will expand its network in China
by establishing education and information centres in five major
cities where it is not now represented. The new centres will be
located in large, economically successful cities in Eastern China.
China is a priority market for UK education
services. The number of Chinese students studying in the UK has
increased fourfold since 1995-96, as has the number of examinations
taken by candidates from China.
However, the UK's success in increasing student
flows and examination numbers is causing some disquiet among senior
Chinese officials who are concerned that the growth implies a
move away from long-term partnerships. In order to avoid possible
restrictions on the Council's marketing activities, therefore,
the promotion of UK education services needs to be accompanied
by other programmes aimed at strengthening long-term links.
The new centres will be established in partnership
with local Chinese authorities in order to gain acceptance. They
will focus on providing high quality enquiry services, the marketing
of UK education services, including examinations, and support
for UK academics seeking to build long-term relationships with
local institutions. Support will also be provided to regional
authorities in the design and management of UK training programmes.
The network of information centres will be underpinned by a web-based
enquiry system.
The expansion of the Council's outreach in China
is expected to result in a 25 per cent year-on-year increase in
the number of Chinese students studying in the UK over the plan
period. The number of examination candidates is also expected
to increase by nearly 300 per cent over the same period.
Developing opportunities for education exports
The Council will strengthen its capability to
support the export of education and training services in three
key areas:
— vocational education and training;
— education and training reform;
— information and communications technology
in education;
Vocational Education and Training
There is worldwide interest in the UK's approaches
to vocational education and training (VET), and the products and
services on offer. This is driven by growing globalisation of
the world economy, and an interest in common standards in workforce
and management skills. The need for competency-based accreditation
and the quest for the re-skilling of national work forces have
been demonstrated in numerous reports. It is an area of interest
to UK business, and has significant export potential.
The Council has been active in this area, and
collaborated in the establishment of British Training International
(BTI), which has developed with the Council, a programme of promotional
activities around the world. A recent review by Price Waterhouse
and Coopers concluded that the market existed and was valuable,
the work was worth doing and that public sector funding was appropriate
but inadequate. The Council has agreed to enhance its VET export
promotions capacity through the development of rigorous market
intelligence, kite marking and quality assurance of VET products
and the development of effective support for UK VET business overseas.
We anticipate that an increase in resources would be matched by
DfEE contributions and enable the Council to lever financial support
from the business community. At the same time it would ensure
an integrated approach to VET export capacity overseas through
clear targeting and performance outcomes.
Education and training reform
There is considerable international interest
in utilising the UK's experience of education and training reform,
particularly in the areas of improving school performance and
quality assurance systems in higher education. The Council, in
partnership with the relevant UK bodies, has worked in a number
of countries and with multilateral development agencies to showcase
the UK's experience in these areas. However, this work has been
largely ad hoc and limited in scope. There is a need to develop
a coherent programme to capitalise more effectively on the opportunities
for UK practitioners working in education and training reform.
The Council will agree strategies for the key
countries and international organisations interested in education
reform with relevant UK partners and will commission materials
for showcasing the UK's experience in the main areas. We will
establish a directory of UK practitioners and design activities
to promote the UK resource overseas.
The programme will increase education and training
exports, particularly in terms of consultancy and training, while
enhancing the standing of UK education reform. It will also provide
UK practitioners and institutions with valuable international
experience.
Information and Communication Technologies in
Education
A recent report commissioned by the DfEE concluded
that the export potential of this sector is considerable as the
UK has a comparative advantage in the effective use of ICT in
education and training, and demand globally for these products
is high. Export success, however, is impeded by the need to adapt
products for overseas markets and the dominant role of small companies
who lack experience of exporting.
The Council will establish a small unit to co-ordinate
promotional activity for the sector. This will include the identification
of products with export potential and funding to help producers
adapt and market products. The programme will generate increased
export earnings for ICT products and services, while reinforcing
the UK's reputation for innovation.
Promoting the UK's Creative Industries
The Council will significantly increase its
support for the promotion of the UK's creative industries over
the plan period. Currently, the UK has 16 per cent of the world
market in creative industries, with UK exports standing at about
£7 billion a year. The government has identified the creative
industries as a key sector for export promotion support and has
established the Creative Industries Export Promotion Advisory
Group (CIEPAG) to develop and implement a co-ordinated strategy
for the sector.
The Council will contribute to the implementation
of the strategy by developing an enhanced programme of promotional
activities. The market intelligence which the Council currently
provides on an ad hoc basis will be developed into a comprehensive
service, with web-based background information and a daily e-mail
service for UK providers of creative industries products, similar
to that supplied to education and training providers. The Council,
in collaboration with British Trade International, will organise
a wide range of outward missions, exhibitions and overseas seminars,
and inward missions in key sectors. Other activities will include
workshops with sub-sector partners on export opportunities and
commissioning research into UK products and services with export
potential.
The programme will be focused on countries identified
by British Trade International as priority countries for creative
industries export, including the EU and other key markets.
The programme is expected to lead directly to
increased exports in the creative industries in priority countries
(as measured by statistics maintained by British Trade International),
and will also play an important part in projecting the UK's reputation
for creativity and innovation.
EUROPE
The Council attaches a high priority to its
work in strengthening ties with European partners in support of
the Government's call for a more constructive engagement with
Europe. The proposals under this theme principally support the
FCO's objective to ensure the UK plays a strong role in a strong
Europe.
The proposals fall into four categories:
— re-shaping Council operations in
Western Europe
— promoting stability in South East
Europe
— strengthening ties with Russia
— supporting EU enlargement in Central
Europe
Re-shaping Council Operations in Western Europe
The Council will re-shape its operations in
Western Europe, using IT to reach a wider, younger audience and
to provide a powerful and more cost-effective platform for UK
public diplomacy in the 21st century.
The Council's network in Western Europe is at
one level the jewel in its crown. Prodigiously successful over
the last three decades at revenue generation, it yields over £50
million income annually, largely from teaching English and marketing
UK examinations. It demonstrates the Council's ability to position
the UK as a constructive partner within Europe by facilitating
networking between countries and providing a forum for debate
on key issues affecting all member states, through such events
as the Pontignano Conference and the European Series.
But the Council's operations in Western Europe
are under strain. Typically long-established with traditional
infrastructure, and subject to an inflexible regulatory environment
that creates inefficiency, they require radical overhaul to prove
as effective an agent of British diplomacy in the first half of
the 21st century as they have been in the second half of the 20th.
The speed of change in Europe—closer integration together
with enlargement—and changes in the UK itself mean the Council
must transform its offer and hone its delivery systems to meet
these challenges.
E-commerce and on-line information retrieval
will be the way Western Europe increasingly does its business.
This will particularly be the case with the Council's key target
group of young professionals and postgraduates. More than ever
before this group's understand of and engagement with this country
will be crucial to the UK's future influence in Europe and the
world. But to project a contemporary image the Council requires
contemporary technology. Investment in technology—through
web-based services and call-centres—will do more than project
the right image: it will also reduce recurrent staffing and premises
costs significantly, while raising efficiency in deliver.
Significant additional investment in Western
Europe over the next spending period will enable the Council:
— to restructure its operations in
the region and equip staff with the skills necessary to deliver
a rapidly developing range of public diplomacy and export promotion
services;
— to introduce call-centres in countries
with multiple offices (eg Spain), thus reducing significantly
reliance on physical presence for deliver of information services;
— to improve radically the quality
and range of its web-based information service;
— to rationalise its property portfolio
to achieve higher quality, better focus and increased unity of
operation, as well as a closer fit to political and commercial
purpose.
This rationalisation, taken with an enhanced
technological platform, will reduce the total space in the region
chargeable to the grant-in-aid by upwards of 10 per cent.
The benefits to the UK of this proposal are
clear: a refreshed product with more impact delivered to more
people at less cost over time.
Promoting Stability in South East Europe
The Council will significantly enhance its operations
in South East Europe—Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina,
Croatia, Kosovo, FYR of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia—building
on the modest range of programmes funded by re-deployments within
its existing resources in the aftermath of the Balkans conflict.
The stability and economic growth of S E Europe and its closer
integration with the rest of Europe will depend to a large extent
on the future offered to its young people. They must be given
the chance to participate in civil society, to realise their educational
aspirations and to communicate with their peers in other countries.
Opinion polls commissioned by the Council have
demonstrated the need to change perceptions of the UK in the region,
but have also identified an opportunity to capitalise on the UK's
recognised strengths in education and ELT
The Council will develop a range of new programmes
in S E Europe focused on young people. In English language teaching,
the activities will include an increased programme of teacher
training and professional development, summer schools for teachers
of English and summer courses in the UK for students. We will
support school links and youth exchanges, and provide opportunities
for young professionals to study in the UK on attachments and
short courses. We will upgrade our information services throughout
the region and open new information centres in Novi Sad and Banja
Luka. We will also provide training and materials for NGOs and
other organisations working to promote human rights and strengthen
civil society.
These programmes will support the UK's efforts
to promote stability in the region and its re-integration within
a wider Europe, while helping to build long-term relationships
between the countries of SE Europe and the UK.
Strengthening ties with Russia
The Council will consolidate and expand its
network of regional centres in Russia and develop a range of initiatives
in education, ELT and governance targeted at young people.
In addition to its offices in Moscow and St
Petersburg, the Council currently has a network of eight regional
centres in Russia. This network has enabled the Council to establish
partnerships with reform-minded regional authorities and has achieved
significant profile and impact for the UK throughout the country
by providing a focus for UK public and private sector collaborative
programmes in each region. However, the existing network covers
only 10 out of the Russian Federation's 89 regions. To enhance
the UK's influence in Russia, it is crucial that it is extended
to other regions of major political and economic importance. We
propose to establish centres in a further six regions over the
period 2002-04.
The expanded network will be used as a platform
for work in education and ELT, including teacher training, materials
development, curriculum reform and quality assessment. We will
also develop new programmes to support the reform process and
strengthen civil society institutions through professional development,
information provision and links with UK organisations.
Particular emphasis will be given to influencing
young people's perceptions of the UK through innovative programmes
in the arts and sciences. The Council will create a youth portal
on the web and will provide facilities for students to access
web-based information in each of its regional centres. Study tours
and other events, including a youth parliament, will be set up
to encourage young people's participation in politics. The regional
centres will also be used to promote educational opportunities
in the UK.
The enhancement of the Council's network will
support the UK's political and economic interests in Russia by
promoting stability and reform, and by helping to create the right
environment for UK business.
Supporting EU enlargement in Central Europe
The Council will develop a range of new programmes
in Central Europe to assist the integration of accession states
within the European Union and demonstrating the UK's commitment
to EU enlargement. The programmes fall into two categories: those
which focus primarily on countries such as Hungary, Poland and
Czech Republic, and those aimed principally at Romania and Bulgaria.
Major changes are beginning to occur in the
economic and social environment of member states as the EU develops
a knowledge-driven economy based on principles of social justice.
It is important that these changes are understood and shared by
the maturing democracies of Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovenia
and the Baltic States, in order to improve their prospects for
integration and competitiveness on EU accession. The UK is leading
Europe in key areas of change, such as access to information age
skills, using ICT to contribute to social inclusion, exploiting
e-commerce and promoting life-long learning. The Council will
take these agendas forward by:
— promoting the UK to decision-makers
as a model for policy development, through a programme of visits,
flagship conferences and targeted provision of information;
— giving young professionals in both
public and private sectors improved management skills, deepening
their commitment to innovation, and developing contact with their
peers across Europe, through training courses, professional attachments,
seminars and access to information, with a particular emphasis
on website development and the use of ICT;
— enabling informed debate among young
people through public events and information provision, and through
an extensive programme of school links (both real and virtual).
The programmes in Romania and Bulgaria will
have a different emphasis. The polling carried out by the British
Council in these countries in 1999 showed that only a small percentage
of the population think the UK can help with EU integration. This
contrasts with their view of Germany, France and even the USA.
It is clearly in the UK's interest to change this perception through
an enhanced public diplomacy effort in these fledgling democracies,
combined with practical help in strengthening civil society. The
Council will:
— deliver a series of high profile
bilateral and multilateral events on accession issues, aimed especially
at young people, that projects the UK as a leader in the EU, a
committed advocate of enlargement and a valuable partner in strengthening
regional stability;
— support the consolidation of human
rights and civil society by creating and managing links between
NGOs in Romania and Bulgaria and their UK analogues;
— provide accession skills (including
English language) training for the staff in the "power ministries"
who are involved in negotiations with the EU.
These programmes will strengthen the UK's links
with future EU member states and will ensure that these countries
look to the UK as a preferred partner for collaboration on reform
issues.
REFORM
Support for sustainable development and reform
forms a key part of the Council's efforts to project the UK as
a valued partner and as a constructive member of the global community.
The proposals under this theme principally support the FCO's objective
to improve quality of life worldwide and develop a strong international
community.
The proposals fall into four categories:
— African Young Leaders Programme
— South Asia Reform Links
— supporting reform in Latin America
— supporting democracy in Indonesia.
African Young Leaders Programme
The Council will establish a leadership development
programme for young, potential leaders aimed at strengthening
the reform process in key African countries and building the UK's
ties with a future generation of decision-makers in government,
business and civil society.
The programme will include tailored short courses
in leadership skills and training attachments in the UK, a series
of annual conferences for participants focused on governance and
economic issues, and a moderated network on the web to facilitate
discussion and the sharing of ideas. It will target 25-30 year
olds from both the public and the private sector, the media and
NGOs, and involve approximately 200 participants a year from over
15 countries.
The programme will demonstrate the UK's commitment
to sustainable development in Africa and will support the UK's
long-term political and economic interests throughout the region.
South Asia Reform Links
The Council will build links between reform
institutions in the UK and counterpart organisations in South
Asia. The programme will target key individuals likely to be future
champions of change and will also build capacity in partner institutions.
The links will focus on cross-cutting themes relevant to all countries
in the region, including social auditing and ethical trading,
gender equality, children's rights and knowledge transfer. A programme
of activity tailored to each link will include activities such
as curriculum development, workshops, exchanges and links to schools
in both countries. A moderated web site will also be set up to
facilitate the development of virtual communities with interests
in governance and rights.
In addition to the links, events will be developed
around the region-wide network of activists, experts and students
from partner institutions. These may include, for example, a conference
linked to the SAARC or a regional forum on human rights issues.
The aim will be to establish some 20 links a year, which would
become self-sustainable within three years of the start of the
link.
Supporting reform in Latin America
The Council will support reform for social inclusion
in Latin America by strengthening the effectiveness of organisations
working in this area and by establishing an effective networking
mechanism among practitioners and local NGOs. Particular emphasis
will be given to vulnerable groups, including street children,
violence against women, socially excluded ethnic groups and prisoners.
The programme will focus initially on Brazil, Colombia, Mexico
and Argentina and a regional network will be built up with strong
links to UK institutions. The aim will be to train some 50 people
a year from each country and to establish a minimum of 10 links
with UK institutions to strengthen the training capacity of local
organisations.
Supporting democracy in Indonesia
The Council will provide services, through its
existing centres and three new regional centres, to support the
process of democratic reform and decentralisation in Indonesia.
After 30 years of dictatorship, Indonesia's new government has
committed itself to establishing democracy. Key elements of the
change, given the country's size and diversity, will be devolution
and the reform of central institutions. The strengthening of accountability
also needs to be extended into the corporate sector and civil
society.
The Council will provide access to information
on good governance and will support the development of sustainable
information services for national and provincial assemblies and
other key democratic institutions. Links will be established with
UK partner institutions, including the devolved assemblies, NGOs
and universities. The Council will also provide training in communication
skills for parliamentarians, government officials and NGO staff.
In order to provide these services, the Council
will establish new regional centres in three provincial cities—Medan,
Makassar and Yogyakarta—chosen because of their strategic
position, size and political importance.
The programme will contribute directly to promoting
stability and a successful transition to democracy in Indonesia,
which is the most populous country in SE Asia and a major market
for UK companies.
JOINT PROPOSAL
WITH THE
BBC WORLD SERVICE
The Council is planning to put forward a joint
proposal for additional funding in the 2000 Spending Review with
the BBC World Service. This will be in addition to the proposals
which both organisations will be submitting on their own behalf.
The proposal will build on the complementary
strengths of the Council and the World Service, and will be presented
as an example of "joined-up government" enhancing the
UK's public diplomacy effort. The proposal will principally support
the FCO's objective to improve perceptions of the UK and maximise
UK influence worldwide.
Centres for English language learning support
The British Council and the BBC World Service
will establish centres for English language learning support which
will produce locally appropriate learning packages for a wide
range of media and develop dissemination networks to ensure they
are used effectively.
There is a great demand for UK-based materials
and approaches for the learning of English, but at present there
is not enough freely or easily available material for teachers
and learners. The internet, coupled with the use of TV and radio,
provides the opportunity to reach a much wider audience and to
enable teachers and learners to exchange ideas, share best practice
and access materials. The World Service has a global reputation
as a broadcaster and wide experience of making educational programmes,
while the Council, with its teaching centres and professional
contacts in ELT has particular strengths in networking teachers
and learners, and working with local partners to develop educational
materials and methods appropriate to their contexts. The proposal
will build on the strengths of both organisations to create a
world-wide open, supported learning network for learning English
and a powerful new vehicle for influencing perceptions of the
UK, particularly among young people.
Centres for English language learning support
(CELLS) will be established in six key countries in Central &
Eastern Europe, Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Africa and
Latin America. CELLS teams, comprising Council and BBC staff,
will commission materials and learning support packages to meet
needs within the region. The materials will be modular and will
focus not just on ELT but on learning through English. Some materials
will be aimed at improving specific language skills, while others
will cover topical issues, such as the environment. They will
make best use of a range of media including the web, TV and radio,
to ensure maximum outreach. The learning support packages may
include the re-working of existing materials (eg BBC English programmes)
as well as new items, and will be made available to teachers and
learners through materials banks stored in both virtual and physical
archives. CELLS teams will collaborate with local and regional
networks to develop learning support packages and dissemination
strategies, and to devise methods of evaluating their use and
impact. The involvement of local partners, including educational
institutions and broadcasting organisations, will be encouraged
to ensure sustainability and learners will be channelled to related
courses offered by partners and to internationally accredited
UK examinations.
The project will enable large numbers of young
people around the world to learn English using materials produced
with UK involvement and will enhance the UK's reputation as a
source of high quality English language learning materials, methods
and services. It will also help challenge outmoded stereotypes
of the UK through the use of innovative approaches to learning,
including digital technology, and by bringing young people into
closer contact with the UK.
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