Recommendation 16

HM Government · verbatim extract Not Addressed

a) Support the establishment of permanent offices for the British Council in Dushanbe and Bishkek—as recommended in the Committee’s 1999 report. The British Council must be adequately resourced to take advantage of the opportunities presented to it in a part of the world transitioning from Russian to English as its second language of choice. Partially Agree 57. We agree with the Committee on the value of education and the particular role which the UK can play in developing English language and Higher Education collaborations. The UK is a significant supporter of education, notably girls’ education, including through our contribution of £10 million of UK ODA to the Global Partnership for Education. 58. The British Council is a key soft power asset – projecting UK influence overseas through its work in arts and culture, education and the English language. This was outlined in the Integrated Review and subsequent IR Refresh. The FCDO is providing £511m Grant-in-Aid funding (£396m ODA and £115m non-ODA) to the British Council for the Spending Review period 2022–25. The FCDO works with the British Council to agree high-level geographic and thematic grant-in-aid allocations. The FCDO will ensure it takes into account the Committee’s views via this process, ensuring a balance of competing geographical priorities in the tough fiscal climate. 59. In an increasingly digital age, the British Council’s impact should be judged by its operational – rather than its physical – presence. Across Central Asia, the British Council retains a physical presence in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, while other countries in the region are able to access cultural engagement and teaching activities digitally, where this is possible. 60. The British Council does not judge opening further physical offices as the most cost-effective way of achieving impact in the Central Asian Republics. However, local staff resource in both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan (dependent on additional funding) would help to build relationships with key stakeholders, develop country insight and scope programme opportunities, working from Embassy platforms initially, or from partner institutions. 61. In both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the British Council offers grant-funded programmes in English, education and the arts and delivers a growing number of UK qualifications across both countries. Programmes include providing direct support to teachers of English through our Online Teacher Community, supporting transnational higher education, alumni network development, and support to the Creative Economy. The British Council delivers UK qualifications in Kyrgyzstan through an Independent Testing Centre and is exploring options for similar arrangements in Tajikistan. 62. Funding constraints across the British Council and FCDO mean that there are unrealised ambitions, including the ability to scale up existing work and respond to host government desires to raise levels of English language for young people entering the workforce, with a corresponding demand for significant upskilling of English teachers within a holistic framework of system reform. The British Council’s ‘Next Generation’ research confirmed for Kazakhstan in 2024 on the attitudes and aspirations of young people can be used to inform future programme priorities. b) Galvanise its support of the creative sector in Central Asian countries by sending a high-level ministerial delegation to the World Conference on Creative Economy in Uzbekistan in 2024 . Agree 63. The creative industries are an increasing government priority for both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Given the inclusion of UK creative economy specialists on the World Conference on Creative Economy (WCCE) steering committee, we agree that UK ministerial engagement at the conference in Uzbekistan in October 2024 is desirable. 64. British Council Uzbekistan plans to work with the Uzbekistan government’s WCCE delivery partner, the Arts and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF), to support international participation, share insights and help shape the programme. We also support Central Asia’s creative sector via the British Council’s Creative Economy programme which works with the next generation of artists and creative entrepreneurs. Its aim is to provide the research, tools, space and connections that creative communities need to flourish. c) Expand the numbers of Chevening scholars from Central Asian countries initially to 40 per year by 2025, and better support the visa application process for students . Partially Agree 65. We welcome the Committee’s observations on the value of Chevening Scholarships in the region and the ambition to increase numbers of awards annually. The FCDO’s allocated Chevening budget covers awards made across 140 countries and territories, and scholarships are highly prized around the world by individuals and as a tool for soft influence. We regularly engage with our extensive and active network of alumni across Central Asia. 66. The FCD