British Council celebrat of its 80th anniversary
The British Council kicked 80th anniversary at its headquarters in Agouza, Giza, where it hosted partners from the academic, government, art, and social enterprise communities.
A mobile exhibition showcased the history of the British Council over the last eight decades and featured the changing elements in its activities in recent years. The exhibition chronicled the evolution of the British Council and the highs and lows of the relationship between the UK and Egypt.
Attendees included representatives from government and academic institutions such as
Ministry of Education, which partners with the British Council, to deliver the National Teacher Training Programme that expects to train 37,000 teachers by 2020. The programme maximizes its reach, through the application of digital technology, and deepens impact by exposing teachers to best practices from peers, in regional and global networks.
Ministry of Youth and Sports, which supports the football coaching programme “Premier Skills”, aimed to develop children on a social and educational level, in communities across Egypt. Delivered by Premier League coaches every year in Egypt, the programme touched the lives of over 60,000 children in 2017 alone, and helped coaches establish community sports centres in remote areas like Qena, Sohag, Luxor, Aswan, and Sharkeya.
Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Antiquities, and the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, which partner with the British Council and the British government to deliver the Newton Mosharafa programme, aimed to develop the capacity of academics involved in science and innovation. Funded equally by the Egyptian and British governments with a total of GBP 50 million, it sponsors post graduate studies and research programmes for Egyptians at UK universities, in the fields of sustainable water and renewable energy management, sustainable food production, heritage and archeology, culture and health care. Recently, the programme helped Egyptians discover an early diagnosis method for Hepatitis C, which proved pivotal in improving the quality of lives for millions of Egyptians.
The event was the start of three days of activity.
Today, NOVEMBER 16, the Council celebrates in Upper Egypt, as the Country Director, Elizabeth White, will attend the closing ceremony of the British Council’s ‘1000 Girls, 1000 Dreams’ football partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sport in Luxor.
Tomorrow, NOVEMBER 17, the British Council will be holding public events in Citystars mall and at the El Sawy Culture Wheel, concluding the celebrations with a performance by the award-winning UK artist Nadine Shah.
Quote by Sir Geoffrey Adams, the UK’s ambassador to Egypt said “Today, we are not only celebrating 80 years in which the British Council has offered knowledge, skills and world-class education to thousands of young Egyptians. We are also celebrating the brilliant students who have reached top-of-the-world results, and are leading their country to a prosperous future.”
Quote by Elizabeth White, Country Director “Being appointed the new Director of the British Council in Egypt during such a momentous year has been marvellous. While I’ve been looking at the future development of the British Council, I’ve also had a chance to look deeply into our history, and where we have come from. So much has changed, but some things remain constant.
“It gives a real sense of purpose to see how generations of Egyptians have taken up the opportunities we offer in the arts, education, science and sports.
