17 January 2008
The Prime Minister has announced a boost to English language learning, teaching and training facilities for people throughout the world.
In a message recorded especially for international students, teachers and educational establishments ahead of his visit to China and India, Mr Brown said that the British Council and its partners will set up a new, comprehensive website to provide the very latest in English language resources.
The PM said:
"In total, two billion people worldwide will be learning English by 2020. But there are millions more on every continent who are still denied the chance to learn English.
"So today I want Britain to make a new gift to the world: a commitment to help anyone - however impoverished and however far away - to access the tools they need to learn English."
The new website will establish networks between teachers and students throughout the globe and enable one-to-one tuition between people anywhere in the world, the PM said.
The British Council will also start a programme in India to recruit "Master Trainers" charged with developing the skills of 750,000 teachers of English over a five-year period.
In a separately recorded message, British Council Chief Executive Martin Davidson said:
"We know that right around the world young people want access to English language to give them the skills they need to take part in the globalising economy but also to get access to all the knowledge and understanding that we have in this country.
"And our ambition, as an organisation, is that every learner and teacher of English right around the world should have access to the best of English language teaching from this country."
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