Update: Clarifications to questions added. MA scholarship grants for English language teachers in India and Pakistan: call for UK higher education host institutions

UK Higher Education Institutions are invited to submit proposals to participate as host institutions for the British Council’s MA scholarships for English language teachers in India and Pakistan. This is an excellent opportunity for UK institutions to attract talented English specialists and support them to further develop their skills and knowledge, ultimately impacting on the wider English language teaching sector in the scholars’ home countries.

In India and Pakistan the British Council engages directly with hundreds of thousands of teachers and indirectly with millions of learners each year within government basic education systems. We work closely with our government partners and national, international and UK organisations and institutions who share our goal to provide all teachers and students with access to high quality English language resources and instruction.

Building the capacity of practitioners is a core part of our work and through this scholarships programme we aim to identify and support a select group of high-performing English language teachers and/or teacher educators to further their skills and knowledge.

A focus on technology and its role in English language teaching and learning is stipulated due to the increasing role that educational technologies have been playing in Pakistan and India in recent years. Access to devices and the Internet is growing rapidly, and we anticipate that it will continue to be integrated into school systems as well in individual homes in the coming years. Individuals with expertise and understanding of how technology can be most effectively implemented into teaching and learning programmes will be critical to ensure its appropriate and successful integration.

The intention of this scholarships programme is to offer fully funded placements for students from India and Pakistan to either attend in person or study online towards an MA in English Language Teaching with an emphasis on the use of technology. The main study in the UK will be coupled with a wraparound programme of alumni activity (facilitated by the British Council) to increase the chances of longer-term engagement and wider impact. 

The anticipated outcomes of this scholarship programme are therefore: 

• Scholars from India and Pakistan have increased knowledge and understanding in the field of English language teaching, with particular focus on appropriate technologies to enhance teaching and learning.  

• These individuals act as ambassadors for UK postgraduate education in this field, sharing positive experiences within their professional community. Equally, they bring their knowledge and experience from Pakistan and India and share this within the student community at the host universities. 

• Longer term, these individuals support the development and improvement of English language teaching in their respective communities and ideally within the wider sector. 

In particular this project aims to:

• Offer MA study opportunities through either a face-to-face or online mode in order to include individuals who are unable to travel to the UK for the duration of a face-to-face MA programme.
• Ensure scholar selection will be based on an individual’s academic profile and on their professional capacity as an English language teaching practitioner in India or Pakistan – preferably within the government sector and on their demonstrated commitment to returning to this sector to apply the knowledge and skills gained through the MA.
• Enable individuals to promote and enhance the field of English language teaching and learning in their home country through their exposure to the UK’s expertise in this area.
• Ensure scholars create strong and lasting connections with the UK through active engagement in the alumni network.
• Provide a platform for the English language teaching professionals from Pakistan and India to contribute to the global body of knowledge and expertise and communities of practice.

Opportunity for UK universities

The British Council is offering grants for universities so they can promote:

• up to 6 full bursaries, covering all academic and living expenses, to study full-time, a 1-year Master’s programme in the UK, beginning in Sept/Oct 2022:
  • 3 scholars from India
  • 3 scholars from Pakistan
• up to 6 fully funded places on online part-time Master’s programmes offered by UK universities, preferably with a short face-to-face component in the UK with all expenses paid for by a bursary, beginning in Sept/Oct 2022:
  • 3 scholars from India
  • 3 scholars from Pakistan

This call seeks proposals from UK institutions, with a commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) values, who wish to host a minimum of three Master’s Scholars, in an eligible programme focused on English language teaching with a significant component focused on the use of educational technologies.

Please find the following documents given:

1. Call for proposals
2. Annex 1: Draft agreement
3. Annex 2: British Council global policy statements
4. Application to lots
5. Budget template
6. Track record template

The main point of contact for this call for proposals is Amy Lightfoot who can be contacted via Education.SouthAsia@britishcouncil.org. Please note all clarification questions should be directed through the online form linked below.

Deadline for proposals: 13 December 2021 at 23.59 GMT