Further letter to the Chairman of the
Committee from the British Council
I am writing to advise you of the decision our
India directorate has taken in consultation with the High Commission
in India to close the British Libraries in Trivandrum and Bhopal
which we run in partnership with the Indian Council for Cultural
Relations (ICCR).
We are changing the nature and the model of
our work in India to focus on reaching people beyond those who
can take part in activities in our physical centres. We are building
up pan-India and cross-regional networks, and scaling up the impact
and reach of our work through building partnerships, such as the
UK India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI). This is in
line with the British Council's global strategy to reduce its
physical premises and traditional "bricks and mortar"
presence, in order to invest more money into programmes. This
is driven by the changing needs and desires of our 18-35 year
old customers, many of whom no longer use libraries as a source
of information.
The public in Bhopal and Thiruvananthapuram
will still be able to access British Council services, particularly
with regard to education and examinations. The British Council
will hold seminars and briefings for prospective students in Bhopal,
Indore, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram and will continue to administer
IELTS tests and provide pre-test briefings to IELTS candidates.
Our work with books and our support to writing
and writers continues through a rich and varied programme. We
will continue to work in close collaboration with authors, publishers
and other partners in India. Our launch of William Dalrymple's
"The last Mughal" was one of the events of the year
in Delhi in 2007 and we will organise events around new publications
wherever there is a strong link with the UK and UK—India
relations. We are seeking in particular to work with publishers
to showcase writing which will be of interest to young Indians.
We aim to bring a mini Edinburgh International Book Festival to
Kolkata in 2009 and in preparation for this organised a sell-out
event for four Bangla writers at the Edinburgh International Book
Fair in August 2007. Our Director in India would be pleased to
answer any queries or concerns that you may have.
6 December 2007
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