UK needs to create clear study pathways to attract more Iraqi scholars, British Council says

Responding to a report on UK Higher Education Engagement with Iraq, published today by the UK Higher Education International Unit, the British Council has offered to work with the Universities UK and the British Universities Iraq Consortium to consolidate good relations with Iraqi authorities and institutions and to help and encourage more Iraqi students to study in Britain.

The report says with a long and distinguished history of academic cooperation with Iraq, the UK is “uniquely placed” to aid Iraq’s recovery and capacity-building plans. But it also warns that a number of obstacles must be overcome, including problems with English language training and the visa application system, if the UK is to maintain its position in the face of growing competition from other countries including the United States.

John Law, Higher Education Adviser for the British Council who was on the steering group for the report, said a “clear, coordinated and progressive pathway to study in the UK” was needed to cement relations with institutions and policy-makers and encourage prospective students.

Dr Law, who visited Baghdad in January for the launch of the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Education Initiative which will support up to 10,000 Iraqi students to study at overseas universities and colleges annually, said Iraqi students needed more support in preparing for English Language Testing and English Language Training (IELTS) in their home country and better advice on welfare and financial support while studying in the UK.

The creation of more partnerships between UK further education colleges and universities to offer Iraqi students a smoother progressive pathway onto their chosen course of study would help achieve this and demonstrate the UK’s willingness to be flexible and supportive, he added.

“The partnership approach shows we are prepared to provide wider access to UK educational resources, rather than being solely focussed on student recruitment,” he said.

Liaison with the UK Border Agency on the need to help scholarship holders gain UK visas is particularly important due to the anticipated opening of a new US consular service in Baghdad later this year.

“The Border Agency shares the emphasis we place on the importance of English Language testing for academics and scholars to aid visa applications. The British Council can take steps to brief visa applicants to improve the general standard of applications,” he said.

Ends

For press enquiries and interview requests, please contact James Rowe at the British Council Press Office on 020 7389 4939 or email james.rowe@britishcouncil.org

The report UK Higher Education Engagement with Iraq is available from Elizabeth Farnell, Communications Officer, UK HE International Unit on 020 7419 5609 or email elizabeth.farnell@international.ac.uk

Notes to Editors

·         There are currently 585 Iraqi students at UK universities, up from 125 in 2003.

·         Since 2003 81 Iraqi scholars have taken part in the Chevening Scholarships scheme.

·         Since 2003 15 Higher Education links have been created between UK and Iraqi Universities.

·         The British Council has established six IT resource centres in universities in Baghdad, Basra, Babylon and Erbil.

·         Since 2006 19 schools in Iraq have been linked with schools in the UK as part of our Connecting Classrooms project.

·         We delivered a week long training programme for 40 supervisors from the Iraqi Ministry of Education on the latest development in English Language Teaching.

·         And in March we held Iraq’s first IELTS test for 18 students in Baghdad and Erbil.

The British Council 

·         Celebrating 75 years in 2009, the British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations.

·         We work in over 100 countries worldwide to build engagement and trust for the UK through the exchange of knowledge and ideas between people.

·         We re-opened our office in Baghdad in 2003 after being forced to close in 1990. The office was originally established in 1952 and became the British Council’s largest office in the Middle East.

·         We work in the arts, education, science, sport and governance and last year we reached over 128 million people.

·         We are a non-political organisation which operates at arm’s length from government.

·         Our total turnover in 2007/8 was £565 million, of which our grant-in-aid from the British government was £197 million.

·         www.britishcouncil.org