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EFFECT
The impact of English, what its worth to
the UK and why it matters to the world
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CONTENTS
Foreword 2
Executive summary 3
The global language 5
How English is changing lives 10
The economic benefit 14
Conclusion and recommendations 16
The British Council: sharing the benefits of English 18
ABOUT THE
BRITISH COUNCIL
The British Council creates international opportunities for the people of the
UK and other countries and builds trust between them worldwide. We are a
Royal Charter charity, established as the UKs international organisation for
educational opportunities and cultural relations.
We work in more than 100 countries, and our 7,000 staff including 2,000
teachers work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and
millions of young people every year through English, arts, education and
society programmes.
We earn over 75 per cent of our annual turnover of 781 million from services
which customers pay for, education and development contracts we bid for,
and from partnerships. Less than 25 per cent of our turnover now comes from
a UK government grant. We match every 1 of core public funding with over
3 earned in pursuit of our charitable purpose.
2
Executive Summary
English is the worlds common The UK needs to continue to highly receptive world market. And just
language. English has come of age invest in sharing English. The UK as culture can create the space where
as a global language. It is spoken by needs to be able to respond to this individuals can express, explore and
a quarter of the worlds population, global demand by continuing to re-imagine difficult issues, so English as
enabling a true single market in attract young people into teaching the common language aids dialogue,
knowledge and ideas. It now belongs English and by investing in sharing understanding, trust and the brokering
to the world and increasingly to English with the world. of business deals.
non-native speakers who today
The growth of English, and the Emerging economies and developing
far outnumber native speakers.
emergence of the internet as a truly countries increasingly recognise the
English gives the UK global communication channel with few economic value of producing large
a competitive edge. For the boundaries, are mutually reinforcing numbers of skilled graduates able to
UK today, it provides a strong trends. Thanks to the internet, the rise communicate in English. Jobs, economic
competitive advantage in culture, of social media, the speed and spread opportunity and wealth creation are
diplomacy, commerce, media, of global communications technology critical to stability. Countries with a low
academia and IT, and in the use and the increasingly globalised and proficiency in English have uniformly low
and practice of soft power. interdependent global economy, English levels of exports per capita. A focus on
English drives growth and now allows the rapid cross-pollination improved language skills, integrating
international development. of ideas and innovation around the English into the curriculum from the
For developing and emerging world, and the development of a new primary or even pre-school years,
economies, there is enormous kind of supranational single market helps attract foreign investment, further
demand and need for English in knowledge and ideas. increasing the need for English speakers;
in public education systems to boost and a strong export sector in services
The global power of English has helped
stability, employability and prosperity. helps create a middle class, strengthening
the UK to grow and maintain its position
English changes lives. The impact spending and growing the national
as a cultural superpower in arts, in
of globalisation and economic economy. In developed and developing
academia, and more with every
development has made English the countries alike, for the investor, the
chance of continuing to grow its soft
language of opportunity and a vital academic, the civil servant, the teacher,
power influence in todays highly
means of improving an individuals the performer, the politician, the
networked world. In the 21st century,
prospects for well-paid employment. secretary, the diplomat, the activist,
where content is king (as Bill Gates said
the schoolchild, English creates
back in 1996), creative, culture-rich
opportunities otherwise impossible.
English content has a growing and
Emerging from a colourful history, But as English advances to become
thanks to its Darwinian capacity to a key basic skill for millions around the
The UK must continue
evolve and adapt and changing world, the UK will need to invest in its
to invest in English for almost beyond recognition along own competitive advantage by sending
the benefits, opportunities the way English has come of age more of its best and brightest young
as the global common language. people out into the world to share
and value it brings to Its seemingly irresistible spread, and teach the language, to learn the
our trade, our culture begun in past centuries but accelerating languages, cultures and customs of
intensely in the past few decades, others, and to bring their learning back
and our people. means that different varieties have to enrich our own culture.
emerged. It is constantly moulded
For the UK, the English language is a
and altered by new communities of
critical component of trust building and,
users, whether geographic or digital.
in turn, trade and prosperity. To maintain
In this way it has come to belong to
the English Effect we must continue
all its speakers it no longer has a
to nurture and invest in English for the
single centre such as the UK which
benefits, opportunities and value it brings
influences its norms of usage, but
to our trade, our creative industries,
instead has many centres and hubs
our culture and our people. If we do not,
around the world which individually
we risk losing the economic, social
and collectively shape its character.
and cultural value derived from one
It is a global medium with local
of the UKs greatest assets.
identities and messages, and this trend
will continue as non-native speakers
now far outnumber native speakers
already at an estimated ratio of 4:1,
which can only grow. Our own forecast
is for double digit growth in the
demand for English in a swathe of large
countries such as Indonesia, Pakistan,
Brazil, Mexico and Nigeria.
4
the GLOBAL LANGUAGE
Two qualities have been pivotal in the As English was spreading, it was also express new concepts (to email or
evolutionary rise of English: momentum adapting and absorbing, soaking up to google). The only constant is change.
and adaptability. vocabulary from elsewhere. Arabic,
This globalisation of the language has
The momentum was originally provided Spanish, Hindi and Malay words all
led to a diverse range of Englishes,
by the political, military, religious and found their way into the English lexicon
subtly different not just from a standard
merchant classes. Through colonisation, through trade and colonisation, joining
English, but from each another. The
ship-borne trade with the Americas, the contributions from a thousand years
European Commission2, for example,
North Africa, the Indies and China, earlier of Old Norse and Norman French
recognises that over the years,
and the attendant role of Christian and, with the coming of the Renaissance,
European institutions have developed
missionaries, the English language was Latin and Ancient Greek. In the mid-19th
a vocabulary that differs from that of any
exported worldwide. Arabic and Spanish century, the Industrial Revolution
recognised form of English. It includes
spread similarly through conquest and generated a variety of new words a
words that do not exist or are relatively
religious conversion, across the Islamic new technical lexicon such as factory,
unknown to native English speakers
world and the Americas, in parallel to steam-press, stethoscope: some of
outside the EU institutions. Along the
the rise of English. But they did not them returning to classical roots, others
way it provides a window into concepts
adapt and adopt with the pace and taking on simpler terms, to describe
that are common in one nations
flexibility of English. processes, concepts and artefacts that
bureaucratic tradition, but not others.
were either new or newly discovered.
Though the UKs political and military In his book The Tipping Point3, Malcolm
power was crucial in the 19th and The process continues and has intensified
Gladwell writes of The paradox of the
early 20th centuries, the Louisiana today with many more scientific,
epidemic: that, in order to create one
Purchase1 in 1803 was to prove of major technological and creative discoveries
contagious movement, you often have
significance. This established English (and their patents and trademarks) now
to create many small movements first.
as dominant over French in the United described and named in English when
In the free development of global
States; and then as the UKs empire once they were introduced to the world
English, the language has had many
shrank in the 20th century rapidly in German and French. Words expand
small movements: dialects that are the
growing American global influence their meanings to cover new situations
fittest for purpose and meet the needs
gave the language a momentum (a computer mouse); the language
of their users (such as EU officials) in
perhaps unique in modern history. incorporates or creates new words to
context. Dialect is no longer restricted
1. The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States in 1803 of 828,000 square miles of Frances claim to the territory of Louisiana,
encompassing all or part of 15 present US states and two Canadian provinces.
2. European Court of Auditors, Translation Directorate (May 2013). Brief List of Misused English Terms in EU Publications.
3. Malcolm Gladwell (2000). The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make A Big Difference, New York: Little Brown.
in its distinctiveness by region or place. The pace of change this generates is The advantages (and
It applies to social groupings; and we striking. Adaptations, corruptions and disadvantages) of English
can see the development of distinct tailoring that had previously taken
In the same way that a unified currency
dialects in cyberspace and in mobile centuries now take only months.
or an effective free trade agreement
communications just think of text The Oxford English Dictionary added
can facilitate ease of commerce,
language as one example in parallel approximately 300 new words (BitTorrent,
so a unified language code, or at least
with the decline of regional dialects as cybercast, paywall amongst them) to
a common tongue, can aid dialogue,
our usage in the UK becomes more the lexicon in June 2012. Can English
understanding, trust and the brokering
geographically homogenised. readily absorb this pace of change,
of deals. Global English, or access
or will it in some way lose integrity?
to one of the many global Englishes,
Technology and the Its trajectory is difficult to predict. Loan
is a highly valued technical skill.
pace of change words and changes to structure have
It can be a prerequisite for many
been enriching the language for the
If English took hold due to the historic international positions, an asset in
past 1,500 years that much is not new.
factors of trade, empire, military and diplomacy, foreign relations and
We now must be prepared not just to
industrial might in earlier centuries, development, and a passport to
tolerate, but to confidently embrace
technology has enabled it to jump the advancement in the global media,
the changes being wrought by instant
fence and to thrive without the physical entertainment and financial worlds.
global access, for online and social
contact which had previously been Joachim Gauck, President of Germany,
media usage will have a significant role
necessary. The growth of English, used a speech on Europes future4
to play in the next phase of the evolution
and the emergence of the internet to call for English to be made the
of English. English has always evolved
as a global communication channel, language of the European Union (as
and that is its great strength.
are mutually reinforcing trends. he appealed for the UK to stay in the
The extraordinary growth and speed
This lack of boundaries is important. EU). One of the main problems we
of cross-cultural online communication,
Previously, the spread of language was have in building a more integrated
combined with the emergence of global
governed by those physical encounters, European community, he stated,
English varieties, is creating a new
then by the circulation of printed is inadequate communication within
dialect of English for the web: let us call
materials, then by radio, television, Europe. To encourage a greater sense
it English 2.0, the unofficial language
cinema and other mass media. The of commonality, he argued, Europe
of the internet. Here, the rules of the
arrival of the internet and social media, needed a common language as well
language are relaxed, grammatical and
with the potential for even wider reach, as encouraging multilingualism. I am
structural purity have become far less
has meant that those languages with convinced that, in Europe, both can
important than flexibility and openness
the greatest momentum and the most live side by side: the sense of being at
to change, and new loan words are put
attractive characteristics and attributes, home in your mother tongue, with all its
to immediate and global use. Those
such as widespread usage, immediate poetry, as well as a workable English for
who use it can be immediately heard,
applicability, well-regarded cultural all of lifes situations and all age groups.
seen, read and understood by far
ambassadors or accessible teaching
greater numbers than ever before.
and learning, have become the most
successful channels of online
communication and exchange.
4. To an invited audience at his official residence, Schloss Bellevue, Berlin, 22 February 2013.
6
trainee teacher in China reflecting
on her motivations for learning the
For the UK today, English provides a strong competitive language: We use English as an
edge in fields as diverse as diplomacy, commerce, international language because so
media, academia and IT. It means a place at the heart many people in so many countries
speak English. Though there are so
of a global network. many people that speak Chinese, just
the people in China speak Chinese.
The economic incentive to learn English world-leading research, and the fact I think that English as an international
is compelling. An increasing number that this teaching and research happens language is natural.
of companies Nokia, SAP, Heinkeken, in English. For the generation soon to inherit
Samsung and Renault amongst them influence in commerce, politics, media
Other university systems acknowledge
have recognised the long-term and cultural life, connectedness is a
the centrality of English. Jean-Loup
advantages to productivity and growth major priority; technology is the vehicle
Salzmann, chairman of the Conference
that adopting English as a common that they have chosen; and English is
of French University Presidents, notes
company language can have. In a 2012 increasingly the fuel on which it will run.
that In any French medical laboratory,
survey by the Economist Intelligence
more than half the people speak only It is clear that what we currently think
Unit5, 70 per cent of executives said
English. The evaluation of our research of as the English-speaking world will
their workforce will need to master
is in English, our European projects are eventually lose effective control of its
English to realise corporate expansion
in English, and when professors from own language. If there is one predictable
plans, and a quarter said more than 50
abroad are welcomed to our universities, consequence of a language becoming
per cent of their total workforce would
we speak to them in English.7 Indeed, a global language, writes the eminent
need English ability.
the law requiring higher education academic David Crystal8, it is that
For other sectors, the English language instruction to be principally in French nobody owns it any more. Or rather,
is an indispensable part of their offer. is now being modified in an attempt to everyone who has learned it now owns
Loren Griffith, Director of the International reverse the decline in the number of it has a share in it might be more
Strategy team at Oxford University, sums foreign students at French universities. accurate and has the right to use it
it up in these terms: Today most of the in the way they want. There is therefore
Protestors involved in the uprisings in
worlds best universities6 are in English- a job to be done. There is a need for
North Africa in 2011, whilst using French
speaking countries, and that is no high-quality teaching of English even
and Arabic to gain local and regional
coincidence. English has become the more than ever, if not to protect the
support, switched to English to influence
lingua franca of academia. This greatly purity or integrity of the language, then
the wider global community. One such
increases UK universities ability to to ensure that the diverse dialects that
activist, who had taken first to the streets
attract the worlds best to study and are being allowed to flourish are clear
and then to social media and the internet
do research here, and to collaborate about the source code from which
during the Libyan revolution, was asked
with the best located around the world. they are diverging and share enough
why he had chosen English when Arabic
More international students study at common elements to interoperate
had served him well on the streets. His
UK universities than anywhere but the as a global operating system.
answer was clear and concise: Because
United States. Three central reasons are
thats where we go when we want to
our tradition of rigorous training in how
influence the world. And here is a
to think well, the chance to participate in
5. Economist Intelligence Unit (2012). Competing across borders: How cultural and communication barriers affect business.
6. THES: www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings
7. The Times, 22 May 2013 Use of English in French universities is a cause clbre.
8. David Crystal (2003) English as a Global Language. Cambridge University Press.
8
But ways of learning are changing
the face-to-face classroom is being
If I have to summarise the meaning of the English
supplemented by the virtual world,
language in one word then it has to be freedom. broadcast media, and the mobile phone.
Freedom to relate to others, explore new cultures, UK providers are in competition with
companies from around the world for
freedom of information, to do what I want to do for a this market, which is likely to triple in
living and live in a place I love English has opened size in the major markets mentioned
above, as well as in the traditional
my horizons in every sense of the words and I owe markets of Europe and the developed
who I am today to the ability to speak the language. economies of the Far East. The global
Francisco Rodriguez-Weil, set and costume designer, Venezuela market for digital English language
learning products and services reached
$1.31 billion in 2011. The worldwide
compulsory from the fourth grade and it In the newest states, English can have five-year compound annual growth
is now compulsory in all Japanese primary a special role in nation building. When rate (CAGR) is 14.5 per cent and
schools. The government of Thailand South Sudan gained independence from revenues will reach $2.58 billion by
has set the ambitious goal of teaching Sudan in 2011, English was announced 2016. But high quality English teaching
English to 14 million students in 34,000 as the new national language of unity. whether face-to-face, blended or
state schools, from pre-primary to virtual will still need real teachers,
As a result, native-speaker teachers are
university age; and the Kazakhstan and the international employment
in increasing demand around the world.
government says 30,000 more English- opportunities for talented British
Although there are some 12 million
speakers will be needed for Expo 2017, graduates remain substantial.
English teachers active in the world
an international exhibition on sustainable
today, this masks a huge global shortage.
energy to be held in Astana.
14. Paul Bruthiaux. Hold your courses: Language education, language choice, and economic development. TESOL Quarterly 36(3).
15. Euromonitor International (May 2012). English Language Quantitative Indicators: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.
16. United Nations. GNI per capita PPP ($), 2011. Gross national income converted to international dollars using purchasing power parity rates.
Quoted in EF English Proficiency Index 2012, www.ef.com/epi
17. British Council (2009). Project English.
18. Euromonitor International (December 2010) The Benefits of the English Language for Individuals and Societies:
Quantitative Indicators from Cameroon, Nigeria, Rwanda, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
10
One of the strongest incentives
for learning the language is the use
to which it can immediately be put,
socially, economically and culturally.
Really I wouldnt have had a proper professional
career without the English I learnt, and I think that
really I owe that to my parents who had the vision
to force me to study English on top of my normal
schooling from a very early age.
Paloma Escudero, Global Director of Communications, UNICEF
or Sarajevo. More prosaically, English We werent asking them about English, A common view, therefore, was that
allows football fans in a fishing village we were asking them generally what English is a liberating force. It is also
in the Gambia to listen to live Premier they wanted to improve about their worth noting the role that English
League commentary, or those with schools, and these were very traditional language courses, and in particular
the resources to do so to travel across Bedouin families and top of the list was teachers behaviours and attitudes, can
borders, knowing that they will find a English because they know its hugely have in building positive perceptions of
way to be understood more readily. important in terms of the kind of jobs the UK.
It affords access not to a linguistic club, their kids are going to get.
The 1994 genocide left Rwanda with
but to a global conversation. Research
Interviews with English language students a severe skills shortage after many
in the Middle East and North Africa shows
in six cities (Muscat, Cairo, Rome, Madrid, professionals either fled the country
that one of the most important factors
Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh City) or lost their lives, and English is
influencing the demand for English is
reveal the range of ways in which courses crucial in Rwandas development and
young peoples eagerness to take part
impact on their lives an impact that participation in the global economy. In
in online social networking which is
goes beyond the obvious linguistic 2009 the government announced an
primarily conducted in English.19
goals of accuracy and fluency.20 Studying ambitious plan to switch the countrys
I think its absolutely transformative English, they reported, enabled them to entire education system to English: a
in terms of giving people access be more competitive in the job market huge undertaking in a country where
to improved livelihoods, says Tony and to move up the career ladder. more than 95 per cent of schools teach
McAleavy, Education Director of It provided access to undergraduate in French to pupils from about the age of
CfBT Education Trust which works and postgraduate courses, either in nine, alongside the indigenous
extensively abroad. Quite apart from their countries or overseas, and to Kinyarwanda. Thousands of teachers are
the extraordinary range of social or work-related professional development already being taught English as schools
cultural benefits that come from courses. It enhanced their ability to begin a rapid switchover to using the
education. We work in a lot of low- engage with the internet and social language for tuition in a few core
income countries and the kids whove networking sites. This in turn increased subjects. The intention is to change the
got great English have got radically their ability to access information, work entire system within a few years and
improved life chances. Weve done more efficiently, and cultivate friendships raise a generation of Rwandans fluent
some work, for example, in a remote with people around the world, and in English, strengthening the countrys
rural part of the UAE, and we met allowed enhanced access to unbiased ties to its English-speaking east African
up with some parents and asked them news about world events. neighbours, including Uganda, Kenya
about what it was they wanted to and Tanzania, with which it does much
improve in terms of their local schools. of its trade.
19. Euromonitor International (May 2012) English Language Quantitative Indicators: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.
20. Simon Borg (July 2009), Centre for Language Education Research, University of Leeds: The impact on students of British Council teaching centre EFL classes.
21. Ms Kalimba and Professor Khan were speaking at a Commonwealth Institute seminar in London in 2012 on the importance of English for development.
22. Annika Hohenthal. The Power of English: the Case of India. www.postcolonialweb.org/india/hohenthal/contents.html
23. David Graddol (2010). English Next India: The future of English in India. British Council.
12
Ms Kalimbas views of the importance political awakening: Gandhi, a staunch drivers of this growth: education
of English were echoed by Pakistans opponent of the adoption of English, (increasing demand for English-medium
Professor Saeeda Asadullah Khan, struggled to create a consensus for an schools, widening access to higher
Vice-Chancellor of Fatima Jinnah acceptable alternative and expressed education, incorporation of English
Womens University: English has a major his message to the elite in English. training in vocational education);
role to play in terms of determining employment (many jobs in the
For a variety of reasons, India has
Pakistans position within the context organised sector now require good
nevertheless chosen to adopt and
of a developing nation and to build up English skills); and social mobility
maintain English as the secondary
its knowledge economy, she said21. (English is seen as an access route to
official language of the country, after
the middle classes and geographical
In India, English was first used as a tool Standard Hindi. Successive governments
mobility within India and beyond).
of power to cultivate a group of people have seen the advantages of this position,
who identified with the cultural and other at the individual, community and For the investor, the academic,
norms of the political elite. It provided a international level and English is now the civil servant, the teacher, the
medium for understanding technology spoken by approximately 100 million performer, the politician, the call centre
and scientific development, and by Indians. (According to the 2001 census, worker, the diplomat, the activist, the
the 1920s had become the language 258 million speak Hindi and a further schoolchild, English opens the door to
of political discourse, intra-national 30 indigenous languages are spoken opportunities inconceivable without it.
administration, and law.22 Tellingly, it also by more than a million native speakers).
became the language of nationalism and David Graddol23 identifies three main
24. http://wischenbart.com/booklab/?p=427
25. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), UKCOSA and others
26. London Economics (June 2011) BIS Research paper No.46: Estimating the Value to the UK of Education Exports.
27. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (2013). International education: global growth and prosperity. BIS/13/1081.
28. London Economics (June 2011) BIS Research paper No.46: Estimating the Value to the UK of Education Exports.
29. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (2013). International education: global growth and prosperity. BIS/13/1081.
14
The 2 billion spent on ELT (which with the English language. Youve got The consultancy firm Brand Finance
includes tuition fees, accommodation at the heart of it a business focusing on estimates that the full, long-term
and day-to-day expenses) was well the teaching of English, but every British economic benefit to the UK through
spread across the UK. The top 15 towns company, for example of a scientific or the use of English, in both international
and cities were: technical nature, has got an advantage trade with English-speaking countries
in selling its products and services and in the domestic UK economy, is
in 2010 because it speaks English to people who 405 billion. The Intellectual Property
want to talk professionally in English. asset value is 101 billion.30 This latter
1. London 771,454,897 figure represents what a (theoretical)
He notes also the complex range of
2. Bournemouth 150,159,468 licensor would charge the UK for
different types of English teaching
continued use of the English language
3. Brighton 121,982,664 services for which there is a growing
in international trade with English-
and Hove demand. Its not just the obvious service
speaking countries and within the
in terms of, say, teaching kids English.
4. Oxford 96,977,876 domestic economy.
In Brunei, for example, we work with the
5. Cambridge 89,414,405 local airline company on aviation English. Inevitably these figures prompt as many
Theres a big market for technical English questions as they answer how can you
6. Edinburgh 69,562,230
associated with particular vocations and place a value on a global good? But the
7. Manchester 67,963,916 particular professions. In another context methodology which Brand Finance uses
were helping schools in the Middle East is applied daily to intangible assets and
8. Canterbury 31,876,972
so that they can teach maths and science is suggestive of the enormous and
9. Leeds 28,513,618 through the medium of English. This substantially hidden benefit to the UK
bringing together of the maths pedagogy which English brings. As was recently
10. Bristol 24,432,439
and the English content is a growing said of soft power by a UK cultural
11. Glasgow 21,210,270 niche in terms of the global market. commentator31, Its like good health,
So its a complex market as well as a something you only really appreciate in
12. Eastbourne 18,962,245
growing market. its absence. The same is true of English.
13. Norwich 18,201,976 Recent research by the British Council
The brand value of English shows that the ability to speak English
14. Portsmouth 17,565,035
has a major positive impact on peoples
15. Sheffield 17,024,787
The English language creates an easier interest in business opportunities with
environment in which the UK can do the UK, in wanting to visit the UK and in
Source: Department for Business, business, and it fuels a booming English wanting to study in the UK.32 Sustained
Innovation and Skills (BIS) and English UK, 2011
teaching industry, with much of the investment in meeting the worlds
earnings going directly into local and currently insatiable appetite for English
However, Tony McAleavy of CfBT sees
regional economies around the UK. But is one of the best investments UK plc
this 2 billion as a drop in the ocean
can you put a value on something we can make in our trading, creative and
in terms of the wider economic benefit
use every day without even thinking? cultural future.
to the UK that comes from our association
30. These figures are arrived at using an approach known as the Royalty Relief Methodology, commonly applied to commercial brands for the purposes of technical valuations
(for example, in tax disputes). It uses publicly available financial information in this instance, financial figures from the Office for National Statistics and softer measures from
various studies in the public domain. It relies on verifiable third party data (licensing agreements where appropriate) and therefore less judgment is involved than other methods.
31. Dorian Lynskey, The Guardian, 19 June www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jun/19/britain-soft-power-greater-gangnam-style?INTCMP=SRCH
32. British Council (2013). Culture Means Business. See also British Council (2012), Trust Pays.
16
Emerging economies and developing countries
increasingly recognise the economic value of
producing large numbers of skilled graduates
able to communicate in English.
THE BRITISH COUNCIL: SHARING
THE BENEFITS OF ENGLISH
The British Council helps millions of people around the world to learn
English as a central part of its work for the UK. No organisation does
more, in more places, to share the benefits of the English language
with the world.
Our work in English is about delivering The resources we create in these larger We are working with Russias 200,000
benefit to the UK, raising the profile of operations enable us to reach and English language teachers, policy
UK expertise around the globe and teach English in places few other makers and other professionals
reinforcing the UKs position as the organisations could in conflict zones to improve the quality of English
home of the English language. A wider and developing countries like South teaching particularly in the state
knowledge of English also helps UK Sudan, the nations of Sub-Saharan sector, where English is taught to
and other businesses who want to Africa and South Asia, the Middle East an estimated 15 million learners
export or invest internationally. and North Africa; and in vital world in more than 60,000 schools.
institutions such as Egypts Al-Azhar
Our research shows that, worldwide, We opened our office in South Sudan
University, military colleges and civil
those who speak English are more in 2011, as soon as the country was
service academies.
likely to trust the UK, visit and study established. We have been supporting
in the UK, and be interested in doing We will also be supporting millions the development of the South Sudan
business with the UK. more learners via the improvements Police Service for many years, through
in public education systems which professional development and English
We teach English face-to-face in
we are helping to achieve, such as training. We are bringing English
60 countries worldwide, and reach
Project English in India. This has language tuition to public servants,
hundreds of millions with our
benefited more than 27 million including many former combatants,
LearnEnglish websites for adults,
young learners across the country, helping them to move from conflict
children and teens, with wind-up
and brought opportunities for to public service.
MP3 players in Africa and via radio
professional development to
and with the BBC World Service. We accredit half the UKs English
more than 650,000 teachers.
language schools, promote the UK
We work with state and national
We are working in partnership with as a destination for English students,
governments, especially in developing
Intel Corporation to place 100 work with teachers of migrants in the
countries, to improve English in state
million PCs and devices featuring UK, and run a programme of events
education. We also develop scale and
British Council LearnEnglish for the UKs ELT sector.
excellence in our large-scale teaching
content in classrooms and homes
operations in Western Europe, Asia,
in 100 countries.
the Middle East and North Africa
which are self-funding with no
cross-subsidy from UK taxpayers.
18
The UK ELT sector is worth 2 billion Backed by 1.1 million of EU funding,
annually and we promote UK we have signed an agreement with
English teaching providers through the Ministry of Education of Saxony-
recruitment agents overseas, by Anhalt for a three-year programme to
attending trade fairs and by producing train 1,500 English language teachers.
promotional material, working in This programme will also create
partnership with the sector wherever long-term closer links between UK
we can to raise the profile of British and German language teachers
ELT and qualifications. Our provision and schools.
of UK exams and qualifications are
In Thailand we have set up a new
worth 60 million in export earnings
English language assistant scheme
for UK exam boards.
with the Ministry of Education.
We have launched a professional This will give international work
development framework for English experience to over 700 UK
teachers across the Western Balkans, undergraduates next year. We are
working in partnership with Ministries also providing English learning apps
of Education. on government-issued tablets to
800,000 primary school pupils.
We are working with the South African
government to launch a qualification Our entrepreneurial approach is not
in primary school English teaching as just about earning but also about
part of a national strategy to teach finding innovative ways to create
English as a first additional language. greater impact on a larger scale than
This will support English learning for we ever could with public funds alone.
25,000 schools, 400,000 teachers We do this by working with overseas
and 12 million learners. governments to support policy
change, with partners whose skills,
In Pakistan we have launched a
resources and contacts help us to do
three-year initiative to improve the
more than we could do alone, and
skills of 350,000 Punjabi English
through digital channels which allow
teachers 25 per cent of the
us to reach more and more people in
teaching force.
new and innovative ways.
Our team in Finland has established
a major global partnership with Nokia
which aims to bring English language
services to nine million mobile phone
users worldwide by 2015.