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Information Center British Council Tashkent World Languages University building 11, Dinmukhammad Kunaev (former Sapyornaya) str. 700031 Tashkent, Uzbekistan Tel: (998 71) 1206752, 120 6753 Fax: (998 71) 120 6371

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The British Council General information and BC in Uzbekistan


    The British Council promotes educational, cultural and technical co-operation between Britain and other countries. The Council's work is designed to establish long-term and worldwide partnerships and to improve international understanding. The Council is Britain's principal agency for cultural relations overseas and is integral part of the United Kingdom's overall diplomatic and aid effort.
    The British Council is an independent organisation incorporated by Royal Charter, and is registered in England as a charity. Its patron is Elizabeth II, with Prince Charles, Prince of Wales as its vice-patron. It receives a grant-in-aid from Government, but also funds itself through revenue from services provided, and agency work. Being designed to establish long-term and worldwide partnerships and to improve international understanding, the British Council works in 254 towns and cities in 110 countries. Its headquarters in the United Kingdom are based in London and Manchester, with main offices in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It has 185 libraries around the world, which back up its activities by providing information on all aspects of British culture, as well as access to the English language.
    The Council's work covers a range of activities in the arts and literature; English language; education and training; professional, academic and scientific exchanges; and in development. These are supported by extensive library, book and information services. The Council employs over 1,300 people in Britain and over 5,500 overseas including more than 1,500 teachers of English.
    In the countries of Western Europe, the Council concentrates on establishing strong links among decision-makers and opinion-formers and their potential successors. Exchange programmes, seminars, conferences, and research projects focus on science and technology, law, economics, and public affairs. They lead to Europe-wide networks of young professionals. Also, of special significance are the arts. In continental Europe the state of the Arts is recorded as a barometer of the state of the nation. There is widespread interest in what is new as well as in what is established. The Council also promotes the teaching of English to the highest standards. The demand for English remains strong with some 40,000 learning at Council Centres each year.
    In Central Europe and the countries of the former Soviet Union, the Council's main priority is to support economic, educational and social reform. We are helping the transfer to a market-based economy by managing training programmes, both in-country and in the UK. In support of education reform, teacher-training programmes and teaching materials provided through resource centres to develop English language teaching skills. English language classes can be taken at a number of Council centres. Increasingly the demand is for sophisticated high-level courses, often purpose-designed for groups of specialists, in such areas as business and economics. In the arts the Council not only presents a variety of British events but also supports arts managers who face the challenge of operating in the free market.
    The main areas of activity of the British Council include education and training. The Council combines its knowledge of education in Britain with its understanding of the needs of over 100 countries to various ends. These include the procuring of education and training for governments and individuals, and the provision of information about British institutions and courses, as well as support for international research and teaching projects. The British Council also supports the role and use of the English language internationally.
    The British Council promotes British expertise in science and technology by providing information on British research and training to overseas countries, and by supporting joint research and overseas development. It plays an active part in raising the profile of British arts and literature worldwide, and arranges international tours, exhibitions and other activities. It also plays a wide-ranging role in promoting the socio-economic development of less wealthy countries.

THE WORK OF THE BRITISH COUNCIL

    The British Council projects overseas the great diversity and creativity of British society and culture, helping people to appreciate its vibrancy and ever-changing complexion.

How we work
    The British Council targets its activities at carefully selected audiences including decision takers and people of influence as well as the broader informed public, especially young and ambitious people. We interest our audiences in working with the United Kingdom by presenting the best of British achievement in six key areas: arts, literature and design; education and training; English Language Teaching; governance and human rights; information exchange and knowledge management; and science, engineering, technology and the environment. In so doing we stress the accomplishments of contemporary Britain, and reflect the creativity, dynamism, diversity, and multiculturalism of our society.
    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) provides the British Council with a core grant-in-aid and our objectives and main performance targets support their policies. We work also with other Government departments and agencies, and increasingly with the private sector. We earn approximately half our total revenues from selling services such as project management, UK-based training, English language courses, and examinations.

Our aim

    The British Council's purpose is to enhance the United Kingdom's reputation in the world as a valued partner. We achieve our purpose by creating opportunity for people worldwide. We give them access to information, we enable them to share knowledge and expertise across cultural boundaries, and we help them to acquire new knowledge, skills and qualifications. In everything we do we value individuals, promote internationalism and demonstrate integrity. We aim to be recognised as the world's most effective organisation in cultural relations.

Our objectives

• To project the United Kingdom's creativity, cultural diversity and recent achievements, and to challenge outmoded stereotypes of the UK abroad.
• To build the UK's role as a leading provider of educational opportunity for people overseas.
• To promote wider and more effective learning of the English language overseas, especially as a means of influencing young people's views of the UK.
• To position the UK overseas as a committed partner in tackling key reform agendas and promoting sustainable development.
• To demonstrate the UK's commitment to strengthening ties with Europe and developing European cultural and intellectual exchange.
• To encourage a greater international awareness in the UK, especially among young people, and to enrich the international dimension of British education and culture.

The British Council in Uzbekistan
    The British Council in Uzbekistan operates programmes, which focus on English Language, and represents Britain in the areas of Information, Culture, Education and Training.
Library and Information Services
The British Council Information Centre in Tashkent offers information on all aspects of the British education systems, English tests, different study opportunities, English language courses in Britain and general information about contemporary Britain. Being an “information gateway” to Britain, it provides access to information resources worldwide through five main units:

• The British Council Library
• The library maintains a collection of over 6,000 books; other materials include videos, audiocassettes, newspapers and periodicals which are available for loan, as well as variety of CD-ROMs which can be use on the reference bases.
• Information services We deal with general enquiries about all aspects of British life and are always open to help you in finding answers to the most difficult questions about British life.
• Internet service Starting from January 2000 we provide public Internet access to our Information Centre members and organise Internet / General Computer training when requested.
• The British Council Video Library The range of over 200 top quality videocassettes in original is available for loan for Video Library members.
• Supported Open Learning Centre OLC in Tashkent is a pilot project launched by the BC, Tashkent in 2001.The project aims to meet a huge and rapidly expanding demand for English coming from all sectors of Uzbek society.

The aim of the OLC pilot project is:

• to investigate effectiveness of ‘’supported open learning‘’ for adults aiming to improve their EL proficiency level
• to develop an open learning strategy appropriate to the local situation Open learning is piloted as an alternative to more traditional approaches to language learning. It has been very much ‘’launch and learn’’ project with action research being a key component.

What is Open Learning ?

• A collection of study packs which offer complete courses
• Learner's individual study plan which suits your own particular situation
• Learners decide what, when and where they want to learn, and how quickly they want to learn

Why is it called Supported Learning?

• Learners get advice and guidance
• They are provided with high quality up-to-date learning materials to meet their individual needs
• A tutor is on hand to help when needed

Who can become a member?
Membership is open to:

• Specialists from the Public Sector
• Employees of NGOs & Uzbek joint ventures
• IELTS test candidates
• Graduate & postgraduate students, except those whose specialisation is English teaching
• Employees of international agencies

English Language and Examinations

    The British Council supports teachers of English at university and school levels through a number of inter-related projects in teacher training and textbook development. The British Council office in Tashkent is the only recognized centre for the International English Language Testing system (IELTS) in Uzbekistan. The IELTS exam is held in Tashkent on a monthly basis.

Culture and Arts

The British Council promotes excellence in arts and cultural events. We work to establish British-Uzbek partnership in the sphere of the arts and promote long term cultural and artistic exchange. The British Council, Uzbekistan is well placed to make a unique contribution to present day arts agenda in the Republic by giving to its target audiences an opportunity to get acquainted with UK’s best professional performers, and demonstrate the role of arts in an open and civic society. It promotes image of Great Britain as multicultural democratic country, which preserves its traditions and at the same time reaches out for new grounds in arts and design.

Education

Every year from November the British Council assists the British Foreign Office’s Chevening programme to select, test and place scholars at British Higher Education Institutions. The British Council Information Centre holds a wide variety of reference materials about British universities, colleges, and English language schools, that can be useful for those willing to study in the UK and are looking for information. The British Council staff offers professional advice about studying in the UK with reference to a wide range of printed materials or CD-ROMs, and is always available to help public make an informed choice.