The British Council’s new IT-based Learning Centre in Kathmandu was opened by Lord Malloch Brown, the FCO Minister of State for Africa, Asia and the United Nations, during his visit last Friday to Nepal.

Lord Malloch Brown met Nepali participants in regional projects, including groups of teacher trainers in the English for Teaching: Teaching for English project, which raises EL standards in remote and marginalised communities across the CSA region, and participants in school links and Global Xchange programmes.

The Minister spoke of the value of the “extraordinary networks” built up globally by the British Council, stating it was “enormously important in building people-to-people diplomacy”.

“The gismos in new learning centres are making access more widely available, but behind the gismos lies a much broader idea of the importance of sharing knowledge which will equip young people for the globalised world we all live in. In that environment the work of the British Council is ever more important, and I am glad to be here at this important moment in the life of the British Council in Nepal.”

The learning centre provides a unique resource for Nepal, with access to nearly 2 million on-line resources. In common with 15 other learning centres across CSA, it will be used primarily for developing the knowledge and skills of T2 participants in regional projects, selected for their ability to act as multipliers and influencers in developing links with the UK and in building capacity in areas such as school links, Technical and Vocational Education training, and English language teaching. It also provides access for young Nepalis seeking educational opportunities in the UK, preparing for UK exams, or studying at the Kathmandu teaching centre.

The opening formed part of a week of events demonstrating the role the British Council is playing in education, active citizenship and in improving English standards as Nepal moves towards constructing a more inclusive, democratic future after last May’s elections.

The new centre was the focus for a seminar on TVET which brought together specialists from the UK, representatives of the Nepali government, private sector and the international donor community. The first of its kind in Nepal, this event resulted in agreement on recommendations on how public-private sector partnerships need to be taken forward in the country.

The recommendations will be presented to the Ministry of Education and Sports, to the national agency for vocational education (CTEVT) and to the donor community, to act as a basis for future collaboration once a new government is in place, to meet the urgent needs for training for the 500,000 young people who enter the job market every year in Nepal.