Punjab Govt & British Council partner to improve spoken English in Schools

LAHORE: The British Council and the School Education Department (SED), Government of Punjab have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to collaborate on a major initiative to improve the confidence and quality of spoken English among primary school students in government schools across the province.

The signing marks a significant milestone in the ongoing partnership between the Government of Punjab and the British Council to strengthen the teaching and learning of English. The initiative will focus on building the capacity of Primary School Teachers (PSTs) and Head Teachers through comprehensive training, technical support, and the development of high-quality, context-relevant teaching resources.

Through this collaboration, 1,920 primary school teachers in 480 government schools will receive training, benefiting approximately 80,000 students. In addition, 160 District Subject Experts (DSEs) from 40 districts will be trained as mentors to support continuous professional development and strengthen classroom practice.

The British Council will provide technical support for the joint design and development of five teacher resource books for grades 1 to 5 and a head teacher resource book to support leadership in English language learning. The community of practice model will further enable ongoing peer learning and reflection.

Ben Lawton, Deputy Director, British Council Pakistan, said: “Teachers are the heart of every classroom. Through this partnership, we are proud to help teachers in Punjab build confidence in their students and create opportunities through the power of English.

Khalid Nazir Wattoo, Secretary, School Education Department Punjab, said: “By strengthening classroom practice and spoken English language skills, we are creating learning opportunities for our students in an inclusive and communicative environment that will prepare them for a bright future and also shape the future of the English language in the Punjab school system.”

This initiative builds on the British Council’s continued commitment to supporting education reform, teacher development and equal opportunities for education across Pakistan.