British Council and NEC sign MoU on educational and cultural collaboration

Assam Art and Culture

Published on: 12-Oct-18
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Alan Gemmell, OBE, Director British Council India and Kh. Siile Anthony, Director (HRD & E), North Eastern Council (NEC), signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen educational and cultural cooperation, to support the knowledge ambitions and economic growth of the eight States of the North East.
The overarching MoU celebrates the British Council’s 70th anniversary in India, in particular the rich cultural connections the Northeast has had with the UK, and seeks to strengthen the relationship for the next 70 years. The MoU will support the higher education, English language, skills and cultural aspirations for the young people from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.
As a result of this MoU, artists and the cultural community of all the Northeast states would get the opportunity to share culture, creativity and ideas with the UK. Government school teachers and faculty members of higher education institutions would gain access to English Language learning, quality education and internationally benchmarked assessments.
The MoU will work towards improving English communication of State civil servants, developing capacity-building initiatives in State Governments, supporting improvements in the teaching of Mathematics and Science, capacity-building programmes for faculty and senior administrators of higher education institutions and it will seek to increase student and academic mobility, for all 8 states of the region.
The British Council has worked continuously with the various states from the North East, the most recent example being Alan Gemmell’s meeting with chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Pema Khandu, to discuss British Council’s support in the state’s English language teacher education, skills development for young people, and greater collaboration with the UK in arts and culture.
British Council had provided technical support to the Asian Development Bank-funded ‘Supporting Human Capital Development in Meghalaya initiative’ of the state government to enhance the employability of its youth.
Earlier this year, British Council launched Mix the City Northeast which gave 14 musicians access to an international platform and audience. To strengthen employability and promote gender inclusion, British Council had launched Premier Skills Guwahati earlier this year, in which UK Premier League coaches trained 48 football coaches from the Northeast, including a coach from Meghalaya.
British Council initiative Crafting Futures gives artisans from the Northeast access to national platform, Lakme Fashion Week.
In the sphere of education, British Council works with the Sikkim government in the primary school sector; and has offered scholarships to 6 women from the North East to pursue higher studies in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.
The MoU is expected to enable more young people to realise their aspirations in education, skill development and arts and culture.