Agreement between the Ministry Of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the British Council
Agreement between the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the British Council to support English language teaching through partnership with the Virtual University of Tunis
Monday 4 July - A signing ceremony for an agreement between the British Council and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherché Scientifique), represented for this project by the Virtual University of Tunis (l’Université Virtuelle de Tunis) took place today. As a result of this agreement the Virtual University of Tunis will officially be able to host a selection of British Council online learning activities and resources on its virtual learning site, which will then be made available to all Higher Education institutes in Tunisia.
Recently, two British Council online courses, English for IT and Second Life Business English, were piloted with three different higher education institutions in Tunisia. It is anticipation that in the future these courses with be offered though the Virtual University to a wider audience in Tunisia. The courses aim to develop learners’ language awareness through a range of tasks that they may encounter in the workplace. Therefore, it is hoped that these types of courses will help to improve students’ English skills for employability.
In addition, we have also agreed to support the Virtual University by offering a selection of English newspaper articles which will be piloted in the soon to be launched e-magazine.
In tune with the aspiration of many people in Tunisia to improve their competence in the English language, the British Council has been delighted to support the Ministry’s work of enhancing the teaching and learning of English at higher education level.
English is seen as the key language for international communication and for success in the global economy. The British Council’s global ambition is to provide every teacher and learner of English with the materials they need. Through our large scale project, ‘English for the Future’, the British Council is already contributing extensively to the development of English language teaching and learning in Tunisia. The English for the Future programme aims to support ELT reform and assist ministries in improving the quality of English language teaching and learning by helping to set policy agendas, bring about institutional change and develop capacity building.
