British Council seeks to deepen Bangladesh-UK collaboration

The British Council is looking to deepen its longstanding partnerships in Bangladesh and expand opportunities for collaboration between people and institutions in the two countries, its chief executive Scott McDonald said.

He made the comments today after completing the second leg of his visit to Rajshahi, according to a press release.

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As part of his visit, Scott also travelled to Rajshahi to meet teachers, students, young people, education leaders and cultural organisations involved in British Council-supported programmes.

He said that Bangladesh is a country with enormous ambition and a dynamic young population.

“I look forward to exploring how the British Council can build on our longstanding partnerships, bring together expertise and ideas from both countries, and create more opportunities for people in Bangladesh and the UK to learn from and work with one another,” Scott said.

He is in Bangladesh on a three-day visit from September 29 to October 1, with the trip including a visit to Rajshahi.

The visit comes as the British Council seeks to build on its work in Bangladesh by connecting expertise and ideas from the two countries and creating greater scope for people-to-people and institutional collaboration.

During his visit to Dhaka and Rajshahi, Scott has met government representatives, education leaders, teachers, students, young people and cultural partners, while seeing first-hand the impact of British Council partnerships across the country, the release added.

On the first day, Scott met ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon, minister for education and minister of primary and mass education, to discuss Bangladesh’s education priorities and opportunities for UK-Bangladesh collaboration.

He also met representatives of 10 Minute School, one of Bangladesh’s largest online education platforms and a British Council partner, to discuss expanding access to English-language learning and internationally recognised assessment.

Later, he met UK alumni and attended the “Connecting People, Sharing Impact: British Council Grantee & UK Alumni Showcase”, where alumni and grantees shared their work and experiences and discussed how their work has contributed to connections and knowledge exchange between the UK and Bangladesh.

Speaking about his visit, Scott said, “The British Council has been in Bangladesh since 1951, and we have built deep connections over generations through education, culture and the relationships between the people of the UK and Bangladesh.”

“I am delighted to be here to see those connections in action and to hear directly from the partners, teachers, students, young people and cultural leaders who are shaping them.”