British Council boosts English teaching in Central Asia
The British Council, in partnership with the Ministry of Preschool and School Education of Uzbekistan, has launched a regional training program for specialists from 27 pedagogical universities across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, UzA reports.
Thirty-eight participants gathered at the National Institute of Pedagogical Excellence named after A. Avloni to review and improve national curricula for pre-service English teacher training (PRESETT). The sessions are led by experts from the Norwich Institute for Language Education (UK) and Uzbek universities.
The four-day training aims to help participants identify key principles of effective PRESETT design, strengthen regional cooperation, and build teams of academic experts ready to lead curriculum reform in their home countries. Participants will also gain tools to manage educational change and align local curricula with international standards.
This initiative follows a series of policy dialogues held under the British Council’s Accelerating English Language Learning in Central Asia (AELLCA) program, supported by the UK Government’s International Development funding.
“From policy dialogues conducted in the five Central Asian countries, I learnt that colleagues want to work together and share experience and co-create the future for young generations in our countries. So, the British Council will provide the participants with opportunities to share good practices and help align the curricula to international standards”, highlighted Ms. Jamilya Gulyamova, Deputy Director at British Council Uzbekistan.
The project marks another step toward advancing English teacher education and fostering inclusive, high-quality learning across Central Asia.
Earlier, Kazinform News Agency offered a guide on how to get started learning Kazakh.