Tuesday 28 January 2014
The British Council has announced plans to re-open its office in Lima, Peru. The UK’s international cultural relations organisation intends to return to the country in the summer of 2014, eight years after it ceased operations there in Lima in 2006.
Peru has a population of almost 30 million, with around 45% of the population under 24. The British Council’s main focus will be supporting the Peruvian government in strengthening the quality of English teacher training and learning at all levels of the education system.
The British Council’s Regional Director for the Americas, Christopher Wade, said: “I am delighted that the British Council is returning to Peru. From the conversations we have already been having in Lima we can see that we have much we can offer Peru in English language teaching and education more generally as it embraces internationalisation. We believe that the British Council and the UK have expertise and experience which is very relevant to Peru’s commitment to social inclusion and economic progress. We look forward to developing close partnerships with government and a wide range of institutions to help develop innovative responses to the challenges that Peru faces.”
Ambassador James Dauris said: “We’re excited that the British Council will be re-establishing an office in Lima this year. There are lots more Peruvians who now want to learn English and get English language qualifications than a few years ago. Collaboration between Peruvian and British universities has been increasing since I have been in Peru. The British Council is already discussing exciting plans with the Peruvian Government to help teachers here improve their English. And having the British Council back in Peru will help to make the UK’s broad educational offer more accessible – from English learning resources and exams to post-graduate qualifications.”
Mr Wade said: “There are many ways in which British culture can be enriched through closer exchanges with people in Peru and so we will also support new connections with the UK through the arts. We admire the excellent work being done by the Britanico to bring arts from Britain to Peruvian audiences and we look forward to working with the Britanico and other partners to deepen the cultural links between our two countries. We’re aiming for our new office to be open by mid-2014 and we can’t wait to be back.”
