There was a teacher lady in Harar whom the staff trained. After the core skills training which is provided by the British Council Connecting Classrooms programme in Ethiopia, she got back to her school and she started making incredible impact by making an effort to understand why some of the students were low performing. What she did afterwards was mind blowing.
She found out that some of the students were poor, some were trouble makers, and others were sick and so on. To solve these problems, she started liaising with different institutions. She contacted parents, teachers, NGO’s and other government bodies to support the poor. She liaised with health institutions for the sick and the police to shape up the trouble makers. The result was, to repeat, mind blowing. This lady claimed that, finally, after 28 years of ‘teaching’, she was really teaching.
This is one of the case study taken from British council’s archive, narrated by Nebiyou Worku, Communications and Marketing Manager. The British Council is the United Kingdom’s international organization for cultural relations and educational opportunities. In this regard, The Ethiopian Herald approached communications and marketing manager, Nebiyou Worku, to deal on the overall activities of British Council organization.
Herald: Tell us about the historical background of British Council here in Ethiopia?
Nebiyou : British Council was founded in 1934.It has presences in more than 110 countries. We are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body. The Royal Charter sets out the British Council’s charitable purpose in its objects.
Seventy seven years is quite a lot and we are proud to have been a pioneer in so many things including the fact that we were from the beginning and are still highly involved in supporting the education sector and the Ministry of Education(MoE).
We established the General Wingate School, still active, as a center of excellence for more than 35 years .We inaugurated the Anglo-Ethiopian Society. We ran libraries through the British Institute from the outset.
We produced one of the first School Television programs in collaboration with the Centre for Educational Development Overseas. We were a pioneer in using multimedia products such as music, 16 mm film, drama/plays and among others in promoting cultural relations. Moreover, we set up the first ICT centre with the Ministry of Education and set up Internet Café.
The British Council was also involved in projects that are at the heart of Ethiopians such as engaging the architect D.H. Matthews to restore Debra Damo, a sixth-century monastery during the time of Haile Selassie I. Here, it will not be an exaggeration to say that most of the people that you meet in Addis Ababa have in one way or another some connection to the British Council.
But, there were glitches in between. In the years between 1952 and 1958 we had no representation in the country and our work was limited to the General Wingate School. And for the most part of the Derg period, we only had the head of the British Council as representation due to the rampant communist ideology and anti-western sentiment.
But even then, as one former library user noted ‘ the British Council’s contribution for the generation of the 70’sand 80’s is beyond words. That British Council was a cave of knowledge to escape the nasty propaganda of the fascist military regime’.
But, the impact of the library in Addis Ababa went beyond the Derg years into the present or the EPRDF era. It remained a popular point of contact with the public. It stocked books on science and technology and English language learning, documentary videos and English language learning audio cassettes.
Since 1996, the library was closed for three months: on its reopening a queue was not unusual two hours before the door opened, and over 2,500 members visited during the day, forcing the library to remain open late.
In fact, the Library still remains one of the best remembered programs of the British Council with many residents still associating the organization with it. But the Library was closed when the British Council moved to its present venue, which was provided by the British Embassy, some 10 years back.
Here it would be but fitting to digress a bit to say something about the new building which is a cutting edge contemporary work that provokes thinking. The Architecture fits perfectly with the natural background and the functional purposes of an office plus a training center. The building itself is fully equipped with natural ventilation and lighting.
The trees that were cut when the building was constructed were used to artistically cover the façade of the building transforming it into a joyful blend of wood and concrete. Moreover, both British and Ethiopian art collections adorn its walls.
One of the most notable of these is a poem by Lemn Sisay. In short, this epic building that is considered to be one of the best architectural fits in the city noted the strategic shift of the British Council’s work and programs and marked the end of the Library operation.
Presently, the British Council is bringing about great impact through creating friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and Ethiopia. This is being done by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust. The main areas of our work are English and Exams, Society, Education and the Arts.The different programs under these areas are having tremendous impact.
Herald: What are the main objectives and missions of British Council here in this country?
Nebiyou: We create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. We do this by making a positive contribution to the UK and the countries we work with through changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust.
We work with over 100 countries across the world in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Each year we reach over 20 million people face-to-face and more than 500 million people online, via broadcasts and publications.
Our office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia was established in 1942. Since that time we have engaged with generations of young people through a diverse range of educational and cultural programs.
We work with our partners, both Ethiopian and from the UK, to showcase excellence, innovation and creativity. We work for the benefit of individuals and for the mutual benefit of the UK and Ethiopia. We have a dedicated team of 45 professionals, working in the areas of English, the arts, and education and society.
Our Vision is that by 2020 we will connect to over 4 million young Ethiopians and link them to the UK, helping to secure a safe and prosperous future for both Ethiopia and the UK. Our work in the Arts, English, and Education and Society will change tens of thousands of lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust. It will lead to stronger bonds built on a foundation of trust and mutual respect between people in Ethiopia and the UK.
Herald: What sort of roles has British Council played in the country?
Nebiyou: The current programs have been playing lots of important roles including Peacekeeping English Program is regarded as a model of best practice internationally within Africa, with positive influence on co-operation, interoperability and dialogue between armed and security forces in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Our Peacekeeping English Project makes a major contribution to the country’s peacekeeping capacity, Ethiopia being the world’s largest contributor of personnel to UN missions, as well as to AU operations.
We work to develop a sustainable system of ELT in 12 centers across the country, training and testing up to 750 personnel a year, of whom 85 percent are deployed. We have now trained over 5,500 personnel on all types of courses.
The Connecting Classrooms program acted as a bridge between so many Ethiopian and British schools and we’ve supported more than 50 school links between the UK and Ethiopia, delivered courses and online training to over 6000 Ethiopian teachers, and developed the leadership skills of another 2000 head teachers in 2000 schools across Ethiopia.
Through the premier skills program, the British Council provided an innovative platform to learn English while providing coaching and training opportunities for many school kids and coaches.
In addition, the Rivers of the World project enabled young school kids produce beautiful art works on selected themes such as the environment. The purpose of the project is to increase student’s self-esteem, which is done through empowering their ideas in art and celebrating their work in exhibitions.
The artwork they produced has been exhibited for two consecutive years along London’s South Bank in September’s Totally Thames Festival and a third one will be following next September.
Quality Education Strategic Support Program is another remarkable undertaking that was funded by UK AID and that continued the legacy of the British Council’s involvement in the education sector by ensuring Quality Education through, for example, helping the adoption of the delivery system in the education system. East Africa Arts is providing training and networking platforms in order to support them develop their capacity and their network within the sector.
World Voices is also another flagship program of the British Council which is hard to describe in words. It demands having a first-hand experience of listening to the hundreds of young kids performing the incredible British, Ethiopian, Cameroonian and other countries educational and entertaining songs.
The Civil Society Support Program Phase I by itself was an amazing project that provided a much-needed monetary and capacity building support to more than 600 civil societies throughout the country. Some CSO claim that the CSSP literally saved the Civil Society sector from crumbling at a time when there were heavy budgetary constraints.
Through the Teaching Centre thousands of students are getting top of the notch English language training as well as professional skills every year. IELTS, Cambridge English, ACCA, and other professional exams are provided by our Exams team.
Herald: Would you tell us on the involvement of British Council in cultural relations?
Nebiyou: There are several works that we have done around cultural relations. Let me give you one example under our East Africa Arts program. The British Council awarded the Dance Out Dance Collaboration, the new Art new Audiences grant.
The first of its kind outdoors traditional urban meet up of three Dance Companies; Company Chameleon (UK), Batalo East (Uganda), and Destino (Ethiopia ), this collaboration built shared experiences and expertise in choreography, youth engagement, and traditional contemporary dance fusions.
Dance out showcased to a wider Ethiopian audience new forms of art such as hip-hop, traditional fusion, contemporary and Ethiopian-contemporary dance and a broad spectrum of contemporary dance styles and meanings performed by both local and international dancers by employing existing popular dances to foster new interest in an important art form.
The project included its own soundtrack fusing electronic sounds with traditional East African beats recorded during this unique production. UK-based Company Chameleon and Ugandan Batalo East will travel to the home of Destino in Addis Ababa in May 2018 for one week of experimental creation of pieces which were performed and adapted as site-specific “pop-ups” and promenades by a total of ten dancers in various outdoor public spaces.
This was first performed in Addis Ababa,Hawassa, and Bahir Dar, and 6 dancers in Manchester, UK. This project is undertaken in collaboration with Destion (Ethiopia), company chameleon (Manchester, UK), Batalo East (Uganda.)
Herald: Are there any projects the British Council has for the next generation of the country?
Nebiyou: the British Council has extensive experience in working with youths through designing and implementing programs developed specifically to enhance various skills such as leadership and social enterprise, recognizing that young people are capable of addressing societal problems and concerns.
Those programs, including Active Citizens, InterAction, Global Exchange, Premier Skills, International Inspirations and Horn of Africa Leadership and Learning for Action project, generated direct interventions to provide support for young people to become active citizens engaged in the development of their societies.
The British Council has developed a strong network of local and international partners, skilled facilitators, tried and tested materials and resources, and experiences of linking people across borders to support the successful delivery of activities at country, regional and global levels.
The British Council Youth Program is currently being delivered with a strong emphasis on building young people’s capacity. It aims at developing the skills, knowledge and attitudes to effect positive change. It operates in a collaborative way.
A number of innovative interventions are taking these young peoples’ realities into account, whilst at the same time responding to the Government of Ethiopia’s ‘youth development’ agenda.
The program exists of three components with the following expected results. Firstly, it increased understanding of the economic aspirations, challenges and lived realities for young people in Ethiopia to inform policy and practice.
Secondly, it enables to enhance capacity of youth- focused CSOs with tools and resources to deliver innovative program and operation models. In the third, Youth led community – based actions modeled to bring youths together, showcasing positive youth participation and leadership.
Moreover, we are now conducting the Next Generation research. Next Generation is a global research program initiated in countries that are experiencing a period of significant change, with the purpose of ensuring that young people’s voices are heard and their interests are properly represented in decisions that will have lasting implications for their lives focused on youth attitudes and aspirations.
The stated aims of the programs are to understand youth attitudes and aspirations amplify youth voice as well as support better youth policy-making. Our Next Generation research seeks to analyze the conditions that support Ethiopian youth and allow them to reach their potential as fulfilled, productive and active citizens.
Herald: Tell us about the activity of British Council regarding social enterprises?
Nebiyou: Social Enterprise is a project designed to support underserved populations to access social protection, health, education and jobs, and in doing so help foster inclusive and sustainable growth for human development. More specifically, the project strives to promote and strengthen an evidence-based social enterprise approach in addressing these development priorities in Ethiopia.
The project is part of the British Council’s global social enterprise program, which is implemented currently in 28 countries across four continents. The program supports social enterprises to address social and environmental challenges and improve people’s lives in our communities and societies. It promotes positive social change, inclusive growth and sustainable development while sharing learning and building trust between the UK and other countries.
Social Enterprise is a three-year project financed and implemented by the British Council and we are currently working towards hosting the Social Enterprise World Forum 2019 event. The Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) is the leading forum for international exchange and collaboration in social entrepreneurship and social investment.
The success of the event in galvanizing the global movement of social enterprise has created a platform for learning, sharing of good practice, ideas. Creating partnerships has made it the main forum for the social enterprise sect economy.
The British Council is hosting the Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) 2019 in Addis Ababa on 23 – 25 October 2019. As the forum enters its second decade, hosting it in Ethiopia provides a unique opportunity to create a truly global social enterprise movement that can share experience, build networks and deliver solutions for a more inclusive and sustainable future for all.
The forum will be complemented with a concurrently held youth week, policy forum, academic symposium, study tours as well as networking evening cultural receptions.
SEWF will promote sustainable economic growth for human development and offers a great opportunity to establish new relationships and create synergies for working together to increase the visibility of social enterprise on the global stage. It will also create a platform for on-going collaboration and sharing by connecting people across Africa and the world, between advanced and developing economies.
We offer delegates a rich, authentic Ethiopian cultural experience throughout the forum, at side events and study tours, including to world renowned cultural heritage sites. The event is expected to attract up to 1,200 social enterprise leaders, policy makers, development partners, private sector representatives, academics, practitioners and supporters from all around the world.
Herald: Do your organization has any contribution and engagement in the areas of provision of educational opportunity and capacity building?
Nebiyou: The purpose of our work in education is to encourage educational, scientific and cultural co-operation and exchange between Ethiopia and the UK. This is because we see the exchange of expertise and talent as being integral to enhancing mutual understanding and creating sustainable opportunities for people in both countries.
We work in partnership with organizations and individuals in Ethiopia and the UK to facilitate the sharing of knowledge, methodologies and experiences. The aim is simple: to help internationalize education in Ethiopia and the UK, mainly by helping students access opportunities to learn new skills, establishing research collaborations between academics, and improving the quality of school leadership and assessment methods.
The UK aid-funded Quality Education Strategic Support Programs (QESSP) provided capacity development support to the MoE and regional education bureaus through grant-funding, the secondment of long-term advisers and the commissioning of research.
Our work with schools aims to improve learning outcomes for students. In order to participate in a global economy, young people need to be equipped with deep learning skills. The Connecting Classrooms programs thus provides professional development opportunities for teachers on the most pertinent core skills and promotes policy engagement for inclusive education.
Our Language for Resilience program’s is currently working in Benishangul Gumuz State to improve the quality of teaching among a corps of 400 teachers in refugee camps and host community schools. The program’s positive impact on the education of children, which make up 25 per cent of the total number of refugees, has been duly recognized.
The World Voice project aims to give young people in Ethiopia access to high-quality English teaching, while allowing them the opportunity to develop their musicality and creativity. We provide teachers with innovative skills and techniques that use music to enhance their teaching practice, and we offer a sustainable professional development model which allows teachers to become trainers.
Singing fosters well-being and self-expression and develops a strong rapport between teachers and students. It is worth noting here that the skills and techniques that we use to develop musicality and creativity in our World Voice project are now being used to support the Language for Resilience programs that we are delivering in refugee camps in the western part of Ethiopia.
Herald: What kind of relationship does your organization and the government bodies have?
Nebiyou: We have a bilateral agreement and have a very strong relationship with the Ethiopian government. In almost all programs, the government is our partner. We work closely with the Ministry of Education, EMOND, Federal Police, Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs.
Herald: At last, you are welcome to convey your message?
Nebiyou: As we embark on our 78th year in Ethiopia, I believe our work in cultural relations through building bridges and long-term connections is more important than ever before, for both our countries. We look forward to continue to see the fruits of our highly successful and mutually beneficial collaboration.
The Ethiopian Herald Sunday Edition 4 August 2019
BY MEHARI BEYENE
