BC promotes the integration of internationalism in the school curriculum
Thirty six schools from remote and urban areas of the Eastern, NorthCentral, Central, Western and Uva provinces in Sri Lanka received the ‘British Council International School Award’ at an award ceremony held recently at the Earls Regency Hotel in Kandy.
Minister of Education, Hon. Min. Mr. Bandula Gonnewardena, and Education Monitoring Minister, Mr. Mohan Lal Grero graced the event. The International School Award ceremony was attended by over 100 schools from areas including Badulla, Bandarawela, Theldeniya, Thambuttegama, Walasmulla and Maho. Most of these schools hope to apply for the International School Award next year.
The British Council International School Award (ISA) is an accreditation scheme that recognises and celebrates exemplary practices of internationalism in schools. ISA encourages schools to collaborate and innovate with overseas schools to create a rich learning experience for students through the use of information technology, creative teaching methodology and real context for learning.
Schools that participate in ISA begin by drafting an action plan for the academic year of activities with an international dimension covering a range of subject areas and age groups. The schools record their work and present a dossier of evidence that is assessed by a panel. Schools that are successful in meeting the assessment criteria are awarded the accreditation of an ‘International School Award’ winner for a period of three years.
The programme reaps many benefits for students and teachers alike. It helps design, develop and implement international activities in schools which create global awareness in both teachers and students across a range of subjects. It also optimises their opportunities for networking, while the award itself gives a sense of recognition to the schools.
At the event, 24 teachers also received the first-ever Diploma in Teacher Education for Global Learning, a diploma delivered and evaluated by the Faculty of Education, University of Colombo in collaboration with Cambridge Education Foundation and the British Council. This diploma is a formal qualification in global education which provides the opportunity for teachers to develop professionally and enhance their teaching skills.
The Country Director of the British Council Sri Lanka, Tony Reilly commented on the ISA scheme. He said, “Creating opportunities worldwide is at the heart of the British Council’s mission. The International School Award (ISA) rewards the efforts of schools that have integrated aspects of global awareness into their curriculum. I am proud to say that 100 schools around Sri Lanka especially from Jaffna, Maho, Katugastota, Gampola, Walasmulla, Galle, Matara and Monaragala will be working towards the award next year, in 2012-13, and that we will continue to support and assist them.”
ICT is an integral part of the schools project as it helps to link schools in Sri Lanka with schools in the UK and overseas. To support schools to carry out their collaborative work, the British Council gifted ICT equipment including laptops, printers, digital cameras, etc. worth of Rs. 14 million to schools involved with the British Council’s ‘Connecting Classrooms’ project last year.