Education and English
Our English and Digital for Girls’ Education project in South Asia has supported peer-led afterschool clubs to build English, ICT and social skills for girls in Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal. We have worked with partner organisations such as VSO and Aga Khan Foundation to address the significant gender gaps in education – particularly among the most marginalised. We have undertaken extensive locally based research on the barriers to girls’ education and then piloted, tested and rolled out a peer-led, non-formal education initiative which provides a safe space and opportunities for learning foundational and leadership skills and improving both access and capacity for digital and remote learning for girls.
Through the European Union and Asian Development Bank-funded Technical Assistance (TA) project for Nepal's School Sector Development Plan (SSDP) (Jan 2019- Nov 2022) we supported Nepal’s Ministry of Education Science and Technology (MOEST); by building capacity of 630 Local Government officials for education planning; developing an assessment system for Grade 8 examinations; developing testing content in English, Maths and Science; and strengthening remote teaching and learning during the pandemic.
Through our EU funded TVET Practical Partnership in Nepal we supported government in introducing ‘green skills’ into the curricula. We brought together stakeholders across agriculture, construction, and tourism industries to develop a system focusing on innovative green solutions. Toolkits with practical insights on implementing green practices were developed – such as on environmental management, curriculum green skills, and sustainability and climate change. We supported the client to institute an annual review to examine progress within the TVET sector, increasing collaboration among the Ministry, its agencies, employers and their representative bodies.
Working with civil society
The Inclusion, Accountability, and Reducing Exploitation Programme (Aawaz II) in Pakistan is funded by the FCDO and supported by the Pakistan Government and civil society. The project aims to create awareness and behaviour change on gender-based violence, child, early and forced marriages, inequalities, and prejudice (including violence) against religious minorities, transgender people, and people with disabilities. The project furthermore enhances citizen-state engagement to improve the use of public services.
The British Council focuses on the establishment and mobilisation of inclusive policy and decision-making structures. Over 900 forums/structures and pathways to access services for the most vulnerable have been established and were assessed to be working well in the mid-term review. Partnering with local organisations, the project highlights include: 26,521 individuals from marginalised groups to access information and a range of services such as national identity cards for transgender people, disability certificates, social protection benefits; discussions around the accessibility of government/service provider buildings and offices; subsidised or free travel facilities to enable members from the most disadvantaged groups - such as transgender and PWDs to access essential services.