DOHA: British Council Qatar has decided to increase the number of terms in its academic year from three to four.
The British Council yesterday held a specially convened media roundtable designed to familiarise members of the media with the change that will take effect from September 2015.
This and other changes have been introduced after research was conducted by the British Council among its students.
These changes will bring a host of benefits for students over the next academic year and the British Council sought the cooperation of the media to share this information with
the public.
The event was held at the British Council Qatar’s premises and drew media participation from Qatar’s dailies and weekend newspapers covering both Arabic and English press, as well as a number of key online news portals. Commenting on hosting the roundtable, Amanda Ingram, Director of English Language Services in Qatar, said, “The British Council Qatar values its partnership with Qatar’s media institutions. As we pursue our goal of connecting the people of Qatar with the best learning opportunities the UK has to offer, we rely on the support of the media. We want to give clear information about our programmes to our customers and with a new academic calendar coming into effect in the first week of September 2015, we decided to seek the help of media institutions in sharing this important information. We are grateful for the willing support we always receive and today’s gathering is no exception.”
Ingram added, “By completing more terms in the year students will be able to complete an English level every year. The changes give adult students the opportunity to study more hours each week resulting in faster progress and allowing them to achieve their goals within a shorter period of time.
“Our programmes for Young Learners will now complement the school calendar to reduce clashes with end-of-year exams and allow students to offer their best at school as well as in the English courses they are following with us. We are also delighted to respond to increased demand for our young learner programmes and introduce additional age-groups and even more refined levels.”
“The changes have also taken into account Qatar’s holiday calendar to ensure that adult students as well as young students don’t miss out on classes during holiday seasons. We want to give all students maximum opportunity to attend all their lessons and maximise their progress,” Ingram added.
The Peninsula
