A new contract formalising the delivery of examinations worldwide has been signed by the British Council and the University of London International Programmes.
(PRWEB UK) 10 February 2012
The University of London International Programmes has more than 50,000 students worldwide studying for a University of London qualification on more than 100 programmes.
Under the new three-year contract, the British Council will contribute to the delivery of more than 117,000 local examinations a year for students of the International Programmes. Under this agreement, the British Council will deliver examinations in 75 countries. These will include Brazil, China, India, Pakistan and Tunisia. Crucially, the move will enable students of the International Programmes to exercise greater choice in where they sit their examinations, which are all set and marked by academics at the Colleges of the University of London.
The new contract brings together the long standing experience of both organisations in delivering quality UK higher education across the world; the International Programmes, dating back to 1858, is currently operating in 190 countries, whilst the British Council has a strong presence in 110 countries, working in Education, English and the Arts.
Professor Jonathan Kydd, Dean of the University of London International Programmes, welcomed the new contract. He said: “In effect, we have formalised our long-standing relationship with the British Council, which has been a key player for many years now in administering our examinations at a local level. This makes a real difference to our students who can choose where to sit their examinations in their home country. This is in line with our commitment to provide access to quality University education for all who could benefit.”
Mark Walker, Director Examinations at the British Council, said: “With more international students now accessing UK higher education from outside the UK than those who access it through coming to the UK, universities need secure but customer-friendly ways of delivering their assessments throughout the world. The British Council’s examination service enables them to access many more markets than they would otherwise be able to. The University of London has a long history of making education widely available and we are very pleased to be working with them to make their qualifications available around the globe.”
For more information, contact Mark Moulding in the British Council Press Office on 0207 389 4889 or mark.moulding@britishcouncil.org or Binda Rai at the University of London International Programmes on 0207 862 8545 or binda.rai@london.ac.uk
Notes to Editors:
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide. We work in over 100 countries in the arts, education and English and in 2010/11 we engaged face to face with 30 million people and reached 578 million. We have 6,800 staff worldwide. Our total turnover in 2010/11 was £693 million, of which our grant-in-aid from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was £190 million. The remainder was generated through trading activities such as English language teaching and administering examinations. For every £1 of taxpayer money invested we earn £2.65 in additional income. For more information, please visit: http://www.britishcouncil.org.
Each year the British Council delivers over 2.5m examinations to more than 1.9m individuals in 92 countries across the world. Through our global network we support UK institutions in marketing their qualifications overseas, and provide a secure delivery network for their examinations. This directly results in £50m of export earnings for UK awarding bodies for assessment, not including related sales for the UK in associated publishing and training provision. Additionally it promotes the UK as a source of high quality and fair education opportunities.
By providing access to UK school, English language and professional qualifications the British Council provides people overseas with access to educational opportunities, networking and cultural exchange, to achieve their study and career aspirations.
The University of London International Programmes
1. The University of London was established in 1836 and is one of the oldest, largest and most diverse universities in the UK. Its founding principle is to provide education for all, irrespective of race, creed or political belief.
2. In 1858, the University of London was granted its fourth Charter, which paved the way for the establishment of the University of London External System, which became known as the University of London International Programmes from 1 August 2010.
3. The University of London International Programmes is the world’s oldest provider of degrees through distance and flexible learning.
4. The International Programmes has been instrumental in the formation of British higher education – all English and Welsh universities founded between 1849 and 1949 offered University of London degrees before obtaining Royal Charters to award their own degrees.
5. Today, the University of London International Programmes is a unique global network of more than 52,000 students in over 190 countries, on 100+ study programmes.
6. Famous former students and alumni include seven Nobel Prize Winners: Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins; Professor Ronald Coase; Wole Soyinka; Derek Walcott; former President Nelson Mandela; joint-winner Charles Kao; and joint-winner Dr Rolph Payet, currently Vice-Chancellor of the University of Seychelles.
7. To find out more about the University of London International Programmes, visit our website: http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk.
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Binda Rai
University of London
+44 (0) 20 7862 8545
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