The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. Founded in 1934, the organization is a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body. British Council works with over 100 countries across the world in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Each year the Council reaches over 20 million people face-to-face and more than 500 million people online, via broadcasts and publications. British Council has been in Azerbaijan since 1993. Every year, it reaches out to thousands of students, educators, policymakers, academics, researchers, creatives and entrepreneurs in Azerbaijan.
British Council in Azerbaijan
The British Council is an integral and important part of the UK’s bilateral relationship with Azerbaijan. It was established in Azerbaijan in 1993 to provide training services to the Azerbaijan public in English language, business administration and management. The Council works in partnership with government, academic and non-governmental organisations in Azerbaijan, and with UK and European counterparts, to provide opportunities to people throughout Azerbaijan.
The British Council extends its work through partnerships with the Azerbaijani and international business community in Azerbaijan.
In Azerbaijan, the Council focuses on developing English language skills, providing internationally recognized examinations, contributing to UK and Azerbaijani partnerships in the arts and increasing the capacity of higher education institutions and civil society.
British Council Azerbaijan and SEC
On September 23, 2016, the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the State Examination Center (SEC), Ms. Maleyka Abbaszade, and Director of the British Council in Azerbaijan, Elizabeth White, met to discuss the cooperation to implement joint projects on evaluation of English language knowledge and competences.
The agreement is specifically focused on the following shared objectives: supporting the improvement of the English component in Graduate-level admission examinations; supporting the application of new innovative practices on English components at school-leaving examinations to assess the relevant competences; supporting the SEC in administering IELTS exams; improving the assessment process of foreign language skills during the admission to civil service positions.
As a result of the discussion, the sides signed a Letter of Intent to execute the joint projects mentioned above.