Even though it has sold International English Language Testing System (IELTS) India business to Australian education firm IDP, the British Council will continue to have wider education engagements in India both in school and higher education space.
In higher education, the UK and India continue to build strong connections in the education sector and collaborate to ensure that graduates are equipped for a changing world of employability. Both countries are committed to achieving mutual recognition of academic qualifications, starting with one-year master’s degrees with a joint task force mandated to lead this, said Barbara Wickham OBE, director-India, British Council.
“Education and research are strong pillars of the India-UK relationship. The UK-India Education Research Initiative (UKIERI) is India’s largest bilateral education partnership and aims to internationalize higher education institutions in India and the UK and to promote institutional and individual excellence in educational practice, research, and employability," Wickham said in an email Sunday.
Similarly, British Council is working with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to develop a competency-based assessment framework - in consultation with in-country and UK experts.
The CBSE earlier this year had said that it is developing a competency-based assessment system. British Council said in an email that as part of the initiative, selected central schools, Navodaya Vidyalayas, the UT of Chandigarh, and private schools across the country will participate in the programme.
IDP, a leading Australian education service firm with a sizable presence in India, will acquire British Council’s India IELTS business for £130 million, Mint reported on 2 July. IELTS of the British Council is one of the popular English language tests world-over for study and migration. It is used by thousands of organizations including educational institutions to evaluate the English proficiency of a candidate.
Under the terms of the agreement, IDP will acquire 100% of British Council’s India IELTS business and British Council employees working on IELTS in India will become part of the IDP team," the organization said in a joint statement.
