Memorandum submitted by the British Council
THE BRITISH COUNCIL IN IRAN
THE BRITISH
COUNCIL'S
AIM IN
IRAN
1. The British Council's aim in Iran is
to win recognition in Iran for the UK's values, ideas and achievements
and to nurture lasting, mutually beneficial relationships between
Iran and the UK.
To do this we have a staff of 23 in Tehran and
an income (in 2003-04) of £917,000. This income is from our
HMG grant (£543,000) and from fees we charge for administering
British Exams (£374,000).
We operate from offices in a section of the
British Embassy's northern residential compound in Qolhak, north
Tehran. We rent these offices from the British Institute of Persian
Studies.
THE BRITISH
COUNCIL'S
STRATEGY IN
IRAN
2. The British Council was first established
in Iran during the Second World War. By the time of the 1979 Islamic
Revolution, our operation in Iran was among the most extensive
in the world. We closed our offices after the revolution and did
not return until 2001, when the Iranian government invited the
British Council back, specifying that it should operate under
the aegis of the British Embassy. The Council's Director and sole
UK appointed member of staff is therefore also the First Secretary,
Education, at the British Embassy. We have young, innovative and
well qualified staff who are new to Council work but we have invested
heavily in staff training and in IT to rapidly build up our effectiveness.
3. Since its return to Iran, a major objective
for the British Council has been to establish trust and understanding
of its function among the Iranian authorities whose co-operation
is essential to its activities. Iranian attitudes to the British
Council vary widely and many in authority view with suspicion
any organisation promoting "western" values. If we are
to build lasting beneficial relationships, we need to be open
and transparent in all our dealings and to demonstrate that our
activities are designed to achieve mutual benefit to both societies.
4. The importance of cultural relations
in Iran is growing. In its first two years of operations, the
British Council in Iran has expanded its operations significantly
and, in spite of difficulties caused by political tensions between
the two countries, the scope of our work will continue to increase.
The Council intends to increase resources for its operation, funding
a steady expansion of activities over the next three years and
we plan to move to larger premises within the next 18 months.
President Khatemi has frequently emphasised
the importance of the "dialogue of civilizations" and
the British Council's strategy in Iran is to actively contribute
to this dialogue to the mutual benefit of Britain and Iran.
THE BRITISH
COUNCIL'S
PROGRAMMES IN
IRAN
5. The Council's programmes are grouped
under four strategic themes, designed to integrate our resources
to the optimum extent to achieve our aim.
(a) Strengthening educational co-operation
between Iran and the UK
It is estimated there are between 1,200 and
1,500 Iranians studying in the UK. Of these, approximately 800
are funded on postgraduate programmes by the Government of Iran.
When the government of Iran invited the British Council to return
to Iran in 2001, it specifically mentioned the requirement for
information on British education. Iran is anxious that its students
and their sponsors make informed choices about their future study.
Accurate and timely information provided by the British Council
enables them to do this to the benefit of both British education
providers and the future economic and academic development of
Iran. Each month we answer over 3,500 enquiries and our bi-lingual
website receives over 3,000 site visits.
We actively facilitate nine links between British
and Iranian universities. We identify UK partners and provide
funds for research team leaders to exchange visits to set up and
monitor joint projects which benefit both sides. Collaborative
programmes have been established in a range of subjects including
women's studies, tropical medicine and Iranian history.
This is an area of increasing interest in Iranian
higher education. Together with the University of Shiraz we are
organising a seminar on distance learning, which will include
experts from the UK and is designed to lead to further collaboration
between the two countries in the development of distance education
in Iran.
— Scholarships programmes
This year we are providing about 35 bursaries
to enable Iranian PhD students to undertake short research attachments
in British Universities. Such attachments often lead on to joint
research programmes and continuing institutional links.
In addition, we manage the FCO's fully funded
"Chevening Scholarships" scholarships for exceptional
candidates identified as future leaders of their communities.
This year 10 Chevening scholarships will be awarded. We also manage
scholarships on behalf of BP Iran.
(b) Strengthening English Language
Teaching (ELT)
— Secondary curriculum and materials
development
The demand for English language in Iran is immense
and increasing. The Ministry of Education has acknowledged the
need to revise the methods and materials used to teach English
to nearly six million children in state secondary schools. We
are working with the senior Ministry staff on the development
of English provision including assistance to the development of
English language textbooks and reform of the English language
curriculum.
— University ELT development
Several universities have approached us for
advice and assistance on designing and organising English language
tuition for their staff and students. As an initial response we
arranged for an attachment by an English specialist to Urmia University
to help design an English teaching curriculum and to teach students
and staff.
In 2001, the British Council in Iran administered
72 examinations. So far in 2003, the average has risen to 560
per month. The vast majority of these are for the international
English language competency test (IELTS). In future we shall broaden
the currency of British exams in Iran, particularly in English
language and professional subjects.
(c) Fostering Cultural Exchange
This is a new five-year initiative from the
British Council which aims at building deeper mutual understanding,
learning and respect between young people from different cultural
backgrounds, by working in new ways and with extended communities
in the UK and overseas.
In Iran, the Council has organised a reciprocal
programme of visits by young artists. Six British students, aged
between 15 and 17, will visit a number of Iranian cities and hold
an exhibition of artwork in Tehran to illustrate their impressions
of the country. This will be followed by a visit to the UK by
Iranian students next year. A young Iranian film maker will make
a documentary of the event. Similar reciprocal visits are planned
for young people in other areas such as music, cinema and sports.
A delegation from the Iranian Youth Organization travelled to
the UK to visit youth organisations and science museums. This
trip was a preliminary to a visit by a group of young Iranian
students to the UK to learn about science and scientific activities
among young people in Britain.
Iran has a highly developed artistic tradition
and collaboration in the arts is an important and highly visible
means of achieving the Council's aim in Iran.
In January this year we organised acclaimed
performances of "The Winter's Tale" by Dundee Repertory
Theatre at the Fajr International Theatre Festival—the first
British drama group to visit Iran for 25 years.
In February next year, in collaboration with
the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, we are organising a major
British sculpture exhibition. The first exhibition of British
sculpture in Iran since the 1979 revolution, it will feature 12
of Britain's leading artists, including Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth,
Eduardo Paolozzi and Damien Hirst.
Cinema is the most dynamic and popular art form
in Iran. We have provided British films for several film festivals,
including a children's film festival. British films, provided
by the British Council, won the Festival Prize and the Grand Jury
Prize at the recent 8th Tehran International Festival of Short
Films. In January, we are organising the first ever British Film
Week.
Such events have a major impact on well educated
young people and opinion formers in Iran.
We are also discussing possible assistance to
a planned festival of Iranian culture in London next year.
(d) Developing Scientific and Technological
Links
Science and scientific collaboration is a major
area of interest for the Iranian government and academics. Our
science programmes concentrate on the areas of health, engineering,
geology and the environment.
We have initiated a "scientific research
visits" scheme under which 10 Iranian scientists will visit
the UK this year to plan joint research projects with British
counterparts.
— Training and study tours
We have arranged visits to the UK by delegations
of senior scientists for study tours and training (eg senior staff
from the Iranian Department of the Environment and the Geological
Survey of Iran have been to the UK for training).
— Visits by UK scientists
We have arranged for British scientists to come
to Iran to participate in seminars and workshops in subjects including
environmental science, medicine and the development of science
museums.
Our bi-lingual website has been developed to
provide information on all British Council programmes and provide
links to a number of additional websites providing relevant information
about Britain's cultural and academic resources.
The British Council
November 2003
| 
