British Council expands Connecting Classrooms schools programme in Middle East

The Conference also celebrates some of the successful Connecting Classrooms school partnerships that have been running in the region since the Programme was introduced in 2006.

These include Al Suqoor Model School & Al Mawaheb Model School from Abu Dhabi and Zeinab Primary & Secondary School from Ras Al Khaimah from the UAE for their partnership projects.

The expansion represents a significant investment by the British Council in providing the opportunity, support and framework to help build greater understanding and trust between students in the Middle East and the UK through sharing their cultures.

From 1 April 2009 the Connecting Classrooms Programme in the Middle East will cover the following three elements:

• 160 new schools in the Middle East and the UK will join the Connecting Classrooms Programme over the next two years to work on practical exchange projects that give students the opportunity to learn more about each others' lives and cultures and to improve their language skills. This will bring the total number of schools involved in Middle East/ UK school partnerships to nearly 400 schools by 2011.

• Teachers and school leaders will receive new professional development training and support materials on subjects such as leadership development and how to lead and institution in an international context, and English language teaching to enable them to introduce an effective international dimension into education.

• For the first time schools in the Middle East will be invited to participate in the International Schools Award; a recognition scheme run by the British Council that recognises schools that have built a creative and effective international dimension into the learning experience of young learners.

More than 150 delegates representing Ministries of Education, those responsible for developing school curricula, education professionals, school principals and teachers are attending the 2-day Internationalism in Education conference. The Conference aims to share experience, celebrate successes, hear about other British Council Connecting Classrooms projects from around the world, address common education issues and plan for the Programme's future success in the region.

The conference is to be opened by Mona Al-Loghani, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for General Education at the Ministry of Education in Kuwait, Abdullatif A. Al Baijan, Secretary General of the Kuwait National Commission for UNESCO, and Michael Aron, HM British Ambassador to Kuwait.

Keynote speeches are being given by David Gardner, Programme Manager, Qualifications & Curriculum Authority (QCA), UK on 'Creating Global Citizens in the 21st Century' and Ali Bubshait, Educational Consultant, Gulf Arab States Educational Research Centre on 'Education in the Gulf Arab States in the 21st Century'.

Olga Stanojlovic, British Council Director of Schools in Education said, "Connecting Classrooms is the British Council's flagship global schools programme. It can provide a powerful window on the world around us, giving students a deeper awareness, understanding and appreciation of each other cultures and the opportunity to establish long-lasting relationships."

"This opportunity helps prepare students in the Middle East and the UK to become global active citizens, able to make a positive contribution to the world around them. The British Council has 75 years' experience of working in international education and we have seen an enthusiastic response to the opportunities the Connecting Classrooms Programme provides, for students, teachers and education policy makers around the world," Stanojlovic added.

Amy Cottage, Regional Programme Manager Schools in the Middle East added, "It is because of the wholehearted and positive response by schools in the Middle East already working in partnership with schools in the UK that we are now expanding Connecting Classrooms here in the region. These additional elements will now give a more comprehensive framework for students, education professionals and policy makers working on international aspects of education."

"Recognising successful school partnerships such as those between Al Suqoor Model School & Al Mawaheb Model School from Abu Dhabi and Zeinab Primary & Secondary School from Ras Al Khaimah from the UAE reflects the commitment and enthusiasm teachers and students have shown to their projects and demonstrates the benefits of Connecting Classrooms as a learning tool and an enjoyable way to learn about different cultures," Cottage said.

"This is an exciting time for schools in the Middle East and the UK to seize the opportunity to build a greater international dimension into their education curriculum," he added.