British Council, the United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations, says demand for Primary Plus—its English course for children aged 6-11 years old—has surpassed expectations in Egypt.
The experiential programme helps develop children’s confidence in communicating in English as well as important 21st Century life skills like creativity, critical thinking, digital literacy and leadership.
Since its launch in 2018, British Council has seen enrolment levels triple as parents realise the added benefits the course brings their children.
According to the World Economic Forum’s 2018 Future of Jobs Report, technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution have created new pressures on labour markets and heightened the need for a reskilling revolution. Education reform, lifelong learning and reskilling initiatives will be critical for inclusive economic growth.
Against this backdrop, the British Council has improved its Primary Plus curriculum to focus more broadly on young learners’ physical, personal, social and emotional development in order to prepare them to tackle future challenges. With workplaces undergoing change at a pace never seen before, English alone is no longer enough to prepare children for the future job market. This generation will require English alongside highly developed soft skills like creativity, critical thinking, teamwork and communication.
Elizabeth White, Director, British Council, Egypt said: “With a massive youth population, Egypt has a huge economic opportunity if potential can be met with employment. As the government starts to back entrepreneurship, it is crucial that the youth are prepared with 21st century skills to enter the workforce. Egypt’s Vision 2030 highlights the importance of the nation’s youth to drive change and achieve a prosperous future for the country. With our modern educational programmes like Primary Plus, Connecting Classrooms and Taqaddam, as well as our partnership with the Ministry of Education, we aim to support the development of Egyptian youth throughout their learning journeys. We want to provide them with the skills they need to secure opportunities abroad or contribute to the development of their country.”
David Townhill, Director of the Teaching Centre at British Council Egypt added: “In order to future-proof their skills and develop into successful and confident individuals, children today need more than English proficiency. They need to learn how to be agile and resilient so they can explore higher education opportunities abroad and become part of a highly mobile and competitive labour market, as well as enter into jobs which do not yet exist. An investment in your child’s early education and care can facilitate their long-term success in their academic journey and even later life.”
Primary Plus moves beyond language learning through the active promotion of creativity, critical thinking, IT skills and ‘learning how to learn’. The course provides an inspiring environment with interactive classes and creative projects that spark a love of learning and promote expertise in English. By incorporating real-life topics that relate to children’s personal experiences, the programme aims to improve their language naturally and arouse an interest in exploring the world using English.
Taught by British Council specialists who are world experts in English language teaching, Primary Plus is a module-based, six-level series of courses with age-appropriate themes and topics that match stages of child development. Classes are designed to be lively, fun and challenging, with teachers encouraging freedom of expression during highly interactive sessions in a safe and conducive environment.
Course materials include magazines that have been created, tested and refined by the British Council globally, making them more up-to-date than regular text books and offering more flexibility in learning. Students can also take part in learning activities on the Primary Plus online portal at home, which is specially designed for grammar and vocabulary training with many films and language learning games that unlock once students reach a certain level of progress.
Courses are now open for registration. Attending the course, young learners can benefit from the wealth of teaching experience of the British Council. Over the past 80 years, British Council has helped more than 100 million people in 100 different countries improve their English skills.
The course consists of 10 lessons and Primary lessons are two hours long. For more information about Primary Plus
