British Council promotes the integration of internationalism in the school curriculum with support from the Ministry of Education
Seventy-five schools from remote and urban areas of Badulla, Bandarawela, Monaragala, Jaffna, Walasmulla, Kurunegala, Gampola, Matale and Kandy, received the ‘British Council International School Award’ at an award ceremony held recently at the Hilton, Colombo.
Minister of Education, Hon. Bandula Gonnewardena graced the event as the chief guest. The International School Award ceremony was attended by hundreds of students, parents, teachers, and principals from schools island-wide.
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 Country Director of 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. We work extremely closely with the Ministry of Education to deliver a major schools programme in Sri Lanka. The main aim of our work with schools is to build learning partnerships between Sri Lankan and UK schools through curriculum based project activities. In doing this we strive to add an international or global element to the curriculum, exploring issues relating not only to both countries but also to the wider world in which we all live today.”
The programme gives 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.
The British Council, with the support of the Ministry of Education, hopes to reach out to 150 new schools next year, promoting the integration of an international element to the local curriculum. Online registrations will be newly introduced next year and schools interested in participating in ISA are encouraged to apply through the ‘Schools Online’ website.