BRITISH COUNCIL: LENDING A HAND
Nov 27, 2002
DAVID Green the first director general of the British Council to visit Uganda, was in Kampala last Thursday, to open the Management Forum – Uganda, a network of managers and leaders <b> Kalungi Kabuye</b> interviewed him.
What is the role of the British Council, and how does it go along fulfilling it?
The British Council has operations in 109 countries across the world. We have been operating in Uganda since 1947, although we closed during the ‘70s and did not re-open till 1986.
Over time, we have changed our operations in light of changed circumstances all over the world. What we are doing now is trying to devise opportunities for young people with aspirations in Uganda, seeking physical, economic and social change. We want to help them through the varied programmes we have in governance, the arts and education.
We see our role as brokers connecting society and government institutions, to institutions in the UK. Mutuality, a two-way exchange, is the hallmark of the British Council. We want to do things in ways that challenge cultural stereotypes in the two countries.
What are these ways?
We have looked at leadership as a cross cutting theme and developed it in different areas.
We also have a new and modern information centre where Ugandans can readily access information. We have also focused on management in response to the needs here. Today we are launching the Management Forum – Uganda. This will help enhance the management capacity in Uganda by promoting networking opportunities amongst managers and providing access to the UK management and leadership experience.
It will also facilitate networking through web based discussion groups.
You talked about leadership...
We have been working to build the capacity of women political leaders through an effective leadership exchange programme with the UK women MPs, and that’s helped to facilitate better communication between political leaders and civil society.
We’ve also been working with young people through the Dreams and Teams Programme, using sports as a leadership development tool. We do this through a schools exchange programme, using the UK models of good governance and leadership in schools, to try and support management and leadership in secondary schools in Uganda. We have been managing a scholarship programme as well, for the future leaders of Uganda, in order to nurture long-time relationships in a mutually beneficial way.
How do you rate the British Council’s efforts in Uganda so far?
One important marker is reputation. We have built a reputation of being trustworthy and our information centre is full of people who value it its services.
Our longest work here has been in providing scholarships to Ugandans to study in the UK. Hundreds of Ugandans have benefited through our technical assistance and professional training programmes as well. We also have higher education links between universities in Uganda and the UK. My impression is that we have made a strong contribution.
We need to do some impact research however, to see what the real impact has been as far back as 1986.
How do the programmes here compare with those of other countries?
We rate the Uganda programme very highly and our investment here is significant. A good example is the new information centre we’ve set up. In terms of exchange programmes, it goes back to what I said before – mutuality. We are trying more and more to work in a mutual exchange fashion. It is not just about people from the UK coming here with their expertise and sharing it, its about having dialogue with our counterparts in Uganda as to what they think works best for them. We have teachers from Uganda going to the UK and teachers from UK coming here.
Could you comment on the New Partnership Africa (NEPA)?
The New Partnership Africa, is basically what the British Council is all about – A partnership with African countries, where the Africans take the leading role.
We help people in the host countries achieve what they want. Ends
The British Council has operations in 109 countries across the world. We have been operating in Uganda since 1947, although we closed during the ‘70s and did not re-open till 1986.
Over time, we have changed our operations in light of changed circumstances all over the world. What we are doing now is trying to devise opportunities for young people with aspirations in Uganda, seeking physical, economic and social change. We want to help them through the varied programmes we have in governance, the arts and education.
We see our role as brokers connecting society and government institutions, to institutions in the UK. Mutuality, a two-way exchange, is the hallmark of the British Council. We want to do things in ways that challenge cultural stereotypes in the two countries.
What are these ways?
We have looked at leadership as a cross cutting theme and developed it in different areas.
We also have a new and modern information centre where Ugandans can readily access information. We have also focused on management in response to the needs here. Today we are launching the Management Forum – Uganda. This will help enhance the management capacity in Uganda by promoting networking opportunities amongst managers and providing access to the UK management and leadership experience.
It will also facilitate networking through web based discussion groups.
You talked about leadership...
We have been working to build the capacity of women political leaders through an effective leadership exchange programme with the UK women MPs, and that’s helped to facilitate better communication between political leaders and civil society.
We’ve also been working with young people through the Dreams and Teams Programme, using sports as a leadership development tool. We do this through a schools exchange programme, using the UK models of good governance and leadership in schools, to try and support management and leadership in secondary schools in Uganda. We have been managing a scholarship programme as well, for the future leaders of Uganda, in order to nurture long-time relationships in a mutually beneficial way.
How do you rate the British Council’s efforts in Uganda so far?
One important marker is reputation. We have built a reputation of being trustworthy and our information centre is full of people who value it its services.
Our longest work here has been in providing scholarships to Ugandans to study in the UK. Hundreds of Ugandans have benefited through our technical assistance and professional training programmes as well. We also have higher education links between universities in Uganda and the UK. My impression is that we have made a strong contribution.
We need to do some impact research however, to see what the real impact has been as far back as 1986.
How do the programmes here compare with those of other countries?
We rate the Uganda programme very highly and our investment here is significant. A good example is the new information centre we’ve set up. In terms of exchange programmes, it goes back to what I said before – mutuality. We are trying more and more to work in a mutual exchange fashion. It is not just about people from the UK coming here with their expertise and sharing it, its about having dialogue with our counterparts in Uganda as to what they think works best for them. We have teachers from Uganda going to the UK and teachers from UK coming here.
Could you comment on the New Partnership Africa (NEPA)?
The New Partnership Africa, is basically what the British Council is all about – A partnership with African countries, where the Africans take the leading role.
We help people in the host countries achieve what they want. Ends