NDB and British Council develop English language skills of 179 teachers across Sri Lanka
At a recent event, 179 English teachers from over 87 gover nment schools were awarded the ‘ English for Teaching’ qualification validated by the British Council. This was a result of a special project to enhance the language and teaching skills of Secondary English Language Teachers of Government Schools jointly delivered by NDB and the British Council.
The programme aims to train English teachers in teaching methodologies, thereby increasing the standard of English teaching in Sri Lanka. The programme, which commenced in 2012, was conducted in ten areas this year in six provinces in partnership with the Ministry of Education. Over 175 teachers participated in a 120 hour Training Course which was delivered by the Regional English Support Centre ( RESC) trainers who had undertaken British Council Master Trainer training. The course concluded with an award ceremony where the English Teachers passed out with certifi- cates in English for Teaching. This ceremony was held recently at the DHPL Building auditorium, Colombo, with the patronage of officials from Ministry of Education, NDB, and the British Council. The 179 teachers who successfully completed the course impact on over 30,000 pupils across the island.
Commenting on this i n i t i a t ive, Indrajit Wickramasinghe, Chief Operating Officer of NDB said, “English is the universal language of the current global marketplace. Proficiency of this universal language is critical for the success of businesses and the economic progress of the nation. Therefore today, English language has become an essential component in a child’s curriculum. Teachers who nurture our children play a pivotal role in setting high standards of language proficiency in our future generation. With initiatives such as this programme we strive to empower the teachers in the country to provide a higher quality education and thereby raise the bar for education in Sri Lanka. We will continue to seek such opportunities to uplift the standard of education and make a positive contribution towards this national endeavour.”
Re f l e c t i n g on the Teacher Training programme sponsored by NDB, Mr. Keith Davies, Country Director of the British Council said: “What we do in English creates opportunities for millions of people around the world. Improved English skills can open doors to educat i o n , employment, mobility and international engagement. It can also crucially help build connections between different cultures and countries – which is why it remains central to our core mission as the UK’s official cultural relations organisation. In Sri Lanka our work in English takes many forms. This project which we deliver in partnership with NDB Bank is one successful example of our work in English delivered through meaningful corporate partnerships.”