In 2006 the British Council and the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialised Education of Uzbekistan initiated a joint project to improve the system of in-service teacher training for English teachers of universities, colleges and lyceums in Uzbekistan.

To meet this goal the project partners did needs analysis, trained a team of material writers, trainers who piloted the materials in the National University of World languages and Samarkand Institute of Foreign Languages.

Since January 2007, 150 English teachers from 30 universities, institutes and colleges in Uzbekistan have already benefited from the programme. Around 200 will benefit from the programme in 2008-09. Gradually every university, college and lyceum teacher of English in Uzbekistan will do the course.

The 144 hour programme consists of two Face-to-Face and Distance modules and covers the following areas:

•Language learning and teaching

•Classroom management

•Material development and adaptation

•Assessment and evaluation

•Continuous professional development

In their feedback the programme participants have said the following:

-After the course I feel how I am changing. First of all, my attitude to myself, colleagues and my profession has altered. You’ve raised my self-esteem and now I feel proud of being a teacher. I’ve learned to become more tolerant and cooperative with peers. The course has built up confidence in my teaching skills. I’ve been teaching for 10 years and had questions I couldn’t find answers to. This course not only answered my queries, but showed many more ways to become a good facilitator rather than a dominating teacher. (Gulro Mamadalieva, Andijan Institute of Languages)

- I am a novice in teaching and have been very lucky to start my career by attending the DUET course. The course has not only transferred my life but the life of my students dramatically. When I returned to my students after Module 1 they didn’t recognise me. They’re are saying that I’ve changed a lot and my lessons have become really interesting. (Makhina Buzrukova, Samarkand Institute of Foreign Languages)

Furthermore, the project has become a turning point in the lives of the programme authors.  Nodira Isamukhamedova, Hornby scholar, now senior teachers at Uzbek University of World Languages says:  “The project offered me to take up new roles, I moved from being a teacher towards material writer, teacher trainer, programme administrator. Now I am actively involved in implementing the new In-service teacher training programme not only in Tashkent but also in Samarkand and Andijan. When I hear positive feedback from the participants, see their smiling faces I feel that we have done a very noble job and I once more become reassured that the project was well-thought both strategically and tactically.“

If you need to know more about the DUET programme, please get in touch with us.