§ Hugh BayleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assistance his Department gives to English schools to work with schools in Africa. [165706]
§ Alan JohnsonMy Department is committed to international school linking and partnership activity, which can provide a powerful and enjoyable framework for the delivery of curriculum objectives, increase motivation, and raise awareness of citizenship and global issues within schools.
To encourage and support this aim the Global Gateway, our new one-stop-shop website for international education, was launched in February 2004. Managed on our behalf by the British Council, the Global Gateway, enables schools to find partner schools in other countries and provides information about development programmes.
My Department funds various programmes through which schools are supported in their work with Africa. This includes:
grant funding to the British Council to provide school linking services and advice, grants for schools to go on linking visits, and to deliver specific programmes such as the linking of 150 schools to South African schools;grant funding to the League for the Exchange of Commonwealth Teachers, to pay for teacher exchange and linking throughout the Commonwealth including a range of African countries;the Teachers International Professional Development (TIPD) Programme, introduced in May 2000, which promotes links between UK schools and schools in other countries by providing for teacher study visits. To date 1,053 teachers have visited Africa on this programme;support for the teacher development work and opportunities offered by Voluntary Services Overseas, including support for the Sabbatical Guide booklet (produced in 2003). We are also developing new work, such as with the Link Community Development on the 'Global Teachers Awards' under which 50 teachers a year will work on educational projects in Africa;In addition, our Sustainable Development Action Plan in Education and Skills aims to raise awareness of global development issues and developing countries in our schools, and we are working closely with the Department for International Development and other organisations to deliver this goal.