A networking event with school principals, university faculties, IELTS registration partners, media agencies and other stakeholders was held in Chittagong on 22 March 2017. Craig Ewan, IELTS Regional Business Development Manager handed out the certificates to the counsellors.  

Jahir Uddin, Head Chittagong Centre, British Council delivered an introductory speech to the audience and expressed his keen interest in working together in connecting more people with learning opportunities and creative ideas from the UK.

Deep Adhikari, Director Examinations, British Council welcomed the guests and thanked them for their continued support towards the British Council. He re-emphasised the important relationship with local institutions and partners in promoting and delivering UK examinations in Bangladesh. goal.

A presentation delivered by Zunayed Ahmed, Deputy Director Examinations, British Council on Partner Schools Global Network (PSGN) shared the new initiatives and activities under the PSGN network and how it can help the local institutions become part of a global network through sharing knowledge and experiences with different schools across the wider network.

Craig Ewan mentioned how higher education institutions and organisations globally are putting more importance on IELTS in assessing the English language proficiency as the world’s most popular English testing system.

The certificate handover ceremony was organised for teachers of different schools who successfully completed the Student Counsellors’ training. Bangladesh is the first country across South Asia where this global training has been successfully launched. This was a unique programme specially customised for the schools under PSGN offer. The training was delivered through an online platform over a period of eight weeks including three face-to-face sessions. A total of nine teachers from different schools successfully completed the training programme in 2016. After the training session each participant attended a final assessment to get the training completion certificate.

Impact of the training:

The training helps in the capacity building of Student Counsellors on,   

• The UK education and training system; courses and qualifications at each level
• The attractions for students considering studying and living in the UK
• Quality assurance mechanisms and how they operate
• Student lifestyle issues – living costs, travel and accommodation
• Course fees and scholarships
• Welfare and support provided for international students in the UK
• UK application procedures and standard entry requirements; visa and immigration regulations.