§ Mr. LuffTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to encourage exchange of young professionals and students between the United Kingdom and Mongolia. [17460]
§ Mr. MacShaneThe British Government have been running a successful programme of scholarships in Mongolia for a number of years. Since 1993, the Embassy administered-scheme has sent 44 Mongolians to the UK. Four places were awarded for the academic year 2001–02 at a cost of £105,000. We also co-fund six scholarships per annum with the Soros Foundation for Open Society and the Universities of Manchester and Essex.
We have provided funding for Raleigh International's three year programme of expeditions to Mongolia, which gave over 300 UK students the opportunity to work together with young Mongolians on a variety of projects. This ended in summer 2001.
§ Mr. LuffTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance his Department is providing for English language teaching in Mongolia. [17459]
§ Mr. MacShaneMy Department has focused its English language teaching efforts on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, since we judge that greater competence there has a valuable multiplier effect in enabling Mongolia to interact with the international community more effectively in a wide range of areas. We are supporting programmes in English for special purposes; communication and presentation skills; and interpreting skills.
807WWe also provide support through our embassy for 10 Department for International Development-funded VSO volunteers working on English language teaching for secondary school teachers.