Nic Humphries, Director English Middle East and North Africa says: “Trying to improve your language skills by yourself is difficult but there is no reason why learners can’t achieve that with some “serious fun”. The Arabic version of the LearnEnglish website will help learners in the Middle East and North Africa discover that there is a lot they can do themselves and that learning like this can be enjoyable. Independent online learning is not a common approach to learning in this part of the world but one that is going to be increasingly important in the coming decade. It is a challenge. Fortunately, young people in the region are quickly learning that they can do almost anything now when they put their hearts and minds to it!”

To celebrate the launch, and to help learners of English in the region develop their language skills outside the classroom, the British Council is organising the English Challenge; a competition open to users of LearnEnglish Arabic in the Middle East and North Africa. The competition is running for the months of October, November and December with 3 separate competitions. Each month 3 Tunisian citizens will win one of a fantastic range of prizes: an iPad2, a Dell laptop and a Nokia mobile phone. Participants need to register on the LearnEnglish website to take part – see Terms and Conditions for more information: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/ar/competition/english-challenge

English for the Future is a programme designed by the British Council to support English language skills development in the emerging labour market in theMiddle Eastand North Africa (MENA). It works in partnership with Ministries of Education across the MENA region and is supported by the commercial sector.

Source ress Release.

ELT professionals can apply in five new categories this year: Excellence in Course Innovation, Innovation in Learner Resources, Innovation in Teacher Resources, Digital Innovation, and Local Innovation, as well as The Macmillan Education Award for Innovative Writing, which is now in its third year.

Michael Carrier, Head of English Language Innovation for English and Exams at the British Council said: “The ELTons have grown to become an essential fixture in the ELT calendar. They are a wonderful opportunity to showcase innovative ELT products and creative ELT authors from around the world, and we are very proud to be able to bring the ELT community together to celebrate innovation in our profession.”

The new categories will reward published ELT products and services developed around the world. For the first time, international ELT professionals will compete alongside those from theUKin the same categories – in recognition of the increased mobility and globalisation in the sector.

The Macmillan Education Award for Innovative Writing is sponsored by Macmillan Education and gives previously unpublished writers the opportunity to win a £1,000 (US$ 1,500) prize and have their work published. Through this award the British Council aims to discover and encourage up and coming ELT authors to take the next step in their writing careers.

The British Council Lifetime Achievement Award, now in its second year, awards an ELT professional who has made a substantial contribution to the ELT profession throughout their career. “This is an important award,” Michael Carrier added, “as it enables all of us in the ELT profession to highlight and celebrate the achievements of those who came before us – the experts, writers, academics and professionals who helped to build ELT into the powerhouse that it is today”

The British Council is theUK’s cultural relations organisation, and builds global relationships through English, education and the arts. It teaches English in more than 80 countries through face-to-face contact and innovative methods including radio, the internet and mobile technology.

Any ELT professional can apply for consideration for one of the categories, including authors, teachers, trainers and publishers. Application packs can be downloaded from http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-eltons-2012 and the deadline for submissions is 2 December 2011.

Applications will be judged by a panel of ELT experts and the winners are announced at a prestigiousELTonsawards ceremony, held inLondonon 23 May 2012.

press release

Going Global, 2012, organized by the British Council.

Where: QE II Conference Centre, London, UK.

When: 13-15 March, 2012.

About:
The world’s population will soon reach seven billion, yet our current systems and institutions only directly reach a small minority. Without a very different vision for the future, large parts of global society will be excluded from the benefits afforded to a highly educated and skilled population.

The proposition of Going Global 2012 is that education has the ability to shape and connect the lives of people around the world. But to do this would require us to radically re-think the nature of our universities and colleges. Just how radical must that vision be? Are traditional institutions equipped to create this new reality or does it call for freer and much more dynamic thinking? How can we move from vision to reality?

Themes:

The future world
Universities and colleges require a radically different vision if they are to shape the world of the twenty first century. We welcome unique views on what this vision might look like, as well as practical proposals capable of turning it into reality.

• What do we want universities and colleges of the future to look like, and what steps should we take to get there?
• If future global prosperity depends on a highly educated and skilled workforce with an international perspective, what role will institutions play in delivering globally literate citizens?
• Who are the new players in creating the future? And how will universities and colleges collaborate with them?
• How will institutions create partnerships in which innovation flourishes?

The connected world
As the world becomes ever more connected, do we now have a greater awareness of the apparent disconnections between cultures, generations and socio-economic groups? What is the role of education in re-connecting the peoples of the world?

• How will institutions reach beyond traditional boundaries?
• What role will institutions play in making the world a safer place?
• How will institutional collaborations and partnerships shape and create a connected world?
• Is internationalisation a real driving force in connecting the world, and what part does mobility have to play?

Winners and losers
The future of universities and colleges will require them to reach out beyond their traditional geographical, cultural and academic boundaries. One of the consequences of institutions becoming more inclusive is that their barriers – which safeguard their ownership of knowledge and give them authority – will disappear. Who could benefit from this shift? Who might share, or in some cases take over, the traditional roles of universities and colleges?

• Who will be the winners and losers, and how will this change and shape education?
• Public/private – an uncomfortable partnership or an opportunity to innovate?
• Knowledge economies, global challenges and global agendas – how will institutions define their role?
• Who will measure the benefits of education and how can institutions better demonstrate their value?

Keynote speakers:
The programme is currently under development.

Call for proposals:

Deadline: Friday, 15 September, 2012.
For more information on the call for proposals, go to: http://ihe.britishcouncil.org/going-global/call-for-proposals

Source: Tonybates.ca

Promotion of the English language teaching in Tunisia was also the focus of the talk that Higher Education and Scientific Research Minister Refaat Chaabouni had with British Council director in Tunis Eunice Crook and British Council regional director in the MENA region Patrick Brazier.

Mrs. Crook voiced the British Council’s readiness to enhance English-language teaching in Tunisia.

Possibility to organise, shortly, a regional Maghreb conference on the education sector, in general, and English teaching, in particular, was also discussed by Mr. Brazier, during this meeting which was attended by Ambassador of Great Britain to Tunisia Chrisopher O’Connor.

Source: TAP

This year’s conference theme is: “WORLD POTENTIAL: MAKING EDUCATION MEET THE CHALLENGE”.