MoU signed between Arunachal Pradesh and UK to strengthen educational cooperation

Itanagar: The British Council and the Arunachal Pradesh government Sunday inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen educational and cultural cooperation between the state and the United Kingdom.

The MoU was signed by British Council director Alan Gemmell and Arunachal Pradesh Higher and Technical Education director Dr Tayek Talom in presence of Chief Minister Pema Khandu at Tawang in the sidelines of the Tawang Festival.

The MoU celebrates the British Councils 70th anniversary in India and seeks to strengthen the relationship for the next 70 years.

As a result of the MoU, 50 faculty members from government higher education institutions of the state would be trained by the British Council every year, starting in December 2018, official sources said.

Of the 50 faculty members, 30 would be from government colleges, 10 from government polytechnic institutes, 8 from central institutions established in the state and 2 from officers of the higher education administration.

Further, 50 students of higher and technical education institutes would be trained annually by the British Council in english language skills.

The MoU would also work towards improving English communication of the state's civil servants, developing capacity-building initiatives in the state, supporting improvements in the teaching of mathematics and science, capacity-building programmes for faculty and senior administrators of higher education institutions and seek to increase student and academic mobility, for the state.

Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said, "The MoU with British Council will enhance the opportunities for young people in education and culture from Arunachal Pradesh, connecting them to international expertise and ideas.

"I am grateful for the British Councils initiative here in the state and across the Northeast."

The British Council director said the MoU supports the vision of the chief minister in enhancing human resource capacity building in higher education and subsequently in school education.

The British Council has had a long association with the Northeastern region.

It recently signed an MoU with the North Eastern Council (NEC) to strengthen educational and cultural cooperation in all eight states of the region.