Tamil Nadu signs an MoU with British Council for education and cultural collaboration
Partnership to create greater opportunities in the areas of:
- Research, international student mobility,
- English language training for students,
- Internationalisation of higher education institutions
Chennai, 8 March 2022: Today, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the Tamil Nadu Sk ill Development Corporation (TNSDC) and British Council, under the chairmanship of the Honorable Chief Mini ster of Tamil Nadu, Mr. M.K. Stalin and in the presence of the British High Commissioner Mr. Alex Ellis, Mr. Oliver Ballhatchet MBE, British Deputy High Commissioner, Ms. Barbara Wickham OBE, Director, British Council India and Ms. Janaka Pushpanathan, Director South India, British Council.
On 1st March 2022, The Honorable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu inaugurated the new “Naan Mudhalvan” prog ram as a flagship guidance project by the Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation for the school and college level students, as well as the youth of the state. In addition, the MOU has been signed to provide all Tamil Nadu youth with specialised training in how to speak and write English fluently, as well as to prepare them to face interviews and to fine-tune their skills.
The MOU is aimed at strengthening the efforts of the youth to learn English, integrate education and culture, and strengthen their efforts to reach the world without barriers by imparting skills training and opportunities for economic advancement in Tamil Nadu. This specialised training will impart knowledge of international sta ndards and quality education to the youth of the state.
Under this program, efforts are on to design a special curriculum to provide special trainings to the trainers in collaboration with leading universities and higher education institutions in the UK. Through these trainings, eff orts will be made to fine-tune diverse skills of the Tamil Nadu youth. Higher education, skill developm ent, art and culture are the key areas that would be strengthened through this MOU.
This MOU will also help in the ongoing professional development of the librarians with the combined efforts of the British Council and the Tamil Nadu government.
Mr. C.V. Ganesan, the Honorable Minister for Labour Welfare and Skill Development, Mr. V. Irai Anbu IAS, Chief Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Government, Mr. R. Kirlosh Kumar IAS, Secretary for the Labour Welfare and Skill Development, Ms. J. Innocent Divya IAS, Managing Director of the Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation, and other senior Government officials participated in this program.
About the British Council
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We build connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and the English language. Last year we reached over 67 million people directly and 745 million people overall including online, and through broadcasts and publications. Founded in 1934 we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body. We receive a 15 per cent core funding grant from the UK government.
