Mr. Kevin McLaven, Cluster Lead Teaching - British Council Egypt, and&nbsp;Ayat Al Taweel, Head of Academic Management at The British Council were NileFM's guests On "The Big Drive" with Zeinab and Sami and they shared with us all about the 90th anniversary of the British Council, and its unwavering commitment to empowering learners through innovative English teaching, skills development, and life-changing opportunities.&nbsp;
Could you introduce yourselves and tell us about how long you&rsquo;ve worked for the&nbsp;British Council? &nbsp;
Kevin: I first came to Egypt at the tender age of 21, back in 1985. After working for three years in a local language school, I did my CELTA. I did it so long ago, it had a slightly different name back then. I&rsquo;ve been with the British Council ever since. I started off as an English language teacher, but I&rsquo;ve been very fortunate to travel the world with my family.
The majority of those roles have been in English language teaching leadership positions. When I was in Pakistan, that was a slightly different role, what we term a "cultural engagement" role. I headed up our office in Lahore and was responsible for all of our work across the state of Punjab. In India, the main focus of my role was exams and qualifications. But yeah, the majority of my roles have been in English teaching leadership.&nbsp;
Can you explain to us the responsibilities of your job title, Cluster Lead Teaching?&nbsp;
Kevin: It&rsquo;s one of those internal job titles that doesn&rsquo;t really mean very much to the rest of the world. Essentially, I&rsquo;m responsible for a cluster of countries.
Egypt is by far the biggest, but it also includes Jordan and Mozambique. So that&rsquo;s the meaning of "cluster," but essentially, I&rsquo;m responsible for all of our English teaching work in those countries.
Tell us about the 90th Anniversary of the British Council
Kevin:&nbsp;We are proud to celebrate the British Council&rsquo;s 90th anniversary, marking nearly a century of cultural exchange and educational partnership across the globe.
90 years ago, the British Council was formed. It was essentially established to create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the United Kingdom and people around the world. That was primarily through education, English language teaching, and culture.
While the way we work has obviously changed over those 90 years, those principles continue to guide the British Council.&nbsp;
Tell us about the history of the British Council and teaching English in Egypt
Kevin:&nbsp;Egypt was actually the first overseas office that the British Council established. Not quite 90 years ago, but we&rsquo;ve been in Egypt since 1938.
As you can imagine, in the beginning, in terms of our English teaching work, we were teaching very small numbers of people, but things have changed very considerably. Even when I joined the British Council, we had just two offices, one in Agouza and one in Alexandria.
We&rsquo;ve now got five in Cairo, plus the branch in Alexandria. We&rsquo;re always looking for opportunities to expand further. It&rsquo;s not about expansion for the sake of expansion, but about recognizing the growing need and demand for the types of services we offer at the British Council.
In terms of our English language work, it&rsquo;s about providing young people&mdash;mainly young people&mdash;with the skills they need to succeed in the world.&nbsp;
How Many Students Learn English Globally with the British Council?
Kevin: We&rsquo;ve got offices in over 100 countries, with around 170 teaching centers worldwide.
We teach about 400,000 students every year, ranging from preschoolers as young as four years old to adults.
Tell us about skills development and modern interactive teaching methodologies
Ayat: At the British Council, language proficiency goes hand in hand with life skills development. We don&rsquo;t just help students reach their desired language proficiency levels but also develop other life skills that help them beyond the classroom, in the workplace, and in their careers. For example, our methodology includes project learning, digital skills, and interactive activities.
Students work on projects together, developing communication and problem-solving skills, through different interactive activities, they build skills like critical thinking that they need outside the classroom.
It&rsquo;s about much more than language learning; it&rsquo;s about life skills.&nbsp;
&nbsp;Who are these courses for? How do the adult courses help with career development?&nbsp;
Kevin: we teach both children and adults. For children, parents often send their kids to the British Council for one of two reasons&mdash;either to help them with their schooling and exams or, to give them the skills they&rsquo;ll need later in life.
For adults, we see a mix of learners. Many university students come to us for help with their studies or future plans to study abroad. Others are already employed and want to improve their English to perform better in their current jobs or to secure promotions. Some are looking for jobs and need English to enhance their employability.
Our courses for adults are not just about general English but also workplace English, equipping them with the skills they need to succeed professionally.
Whether it&rsquo;s children, young learners, or adults, so much of it is about gaining the confidence to perform. It&rsquo;s not just about improving English but about opening doors and giving young people opportunities to achieve their goals&mdash;be it in study or employment.&nbsp;
Can adults choose online or in-person learning options?&nbsp;
Kevin: We offer both. Our core adult program in Egypt provides maximum flexibility. Learners can choose the topics of lessons they&rsquo;re most interested in, the times, the teachers, and even whether to take classes this week or extra ones next week.
We also have our premium online product, English Online, which allows Egyptian learners to study with students from all over the world. Teachers are highly experienced and come from diverse backgrounds.
So, whether you prefer in-person learning or live online options, both are available.&nbsp;
Can you tell us about teaching English to young learners at the British Council?&nbsp;
Ayat: Our young learner courses start at age four or five and go up to 17. We focus on life skills alongside language proficiency. We use project-based learning to help kids develop teamwork, leadership, and confidence. They present projects, work collaboratively on problem-solving, and hone critical thinking skills.
We also prepare them for the digital world, teaching them to use online tools in a safe environment. They connect with peers from diverse backgrounds through our international British Council network, learning about and sharing cultures.
We also involve parents. They&rsquo;re invited to classes to see their children&rsquo;s progress and participate in free workshops to help develop their kids&rsquo; skills at home.&nbsp;
What are some success stories from our learners in Egypt?
Ayat: We&rsquo;ve had students who started with us at very low levels and progressed to advanced ones. One student, who began as a beginner, studied for years and is now advanced. We even interviewed him and posted his story on our Learn English website as an inspiration to others.
He&rsquo;s proud of his journey and now studies alongside his children at the British Council. Sometimes, entire families come to us, spending the day alternating between classes. It&rsquo;s truly inspiring.&nbsp;
How does the British Council ensure progress for its students?
Ayat: Progress is key for all our students. To support this, we provide regular assessments in the classroom, including self-assessments, group assessments, and more formal mid-course and end-of-course counseling.
Additionally, students can track their learning journey via our learner portal, where they can review what they&rsquo;ve studied, check their progress through self-conducted tests, and access supplementary materials like learning apps and exercises.
What advice would you give to someone hesitant about joining an English course?
Ayat: Learning English opens doors to countless opportunities&mdash;be it for career growth, academic success, or personal confidence. Our courses are designed to be supportive, interactive, and goal-oriented, making the journey enjoyable and impactful for every learner.&nbsp;
What are The British Council's overall goals in Egypt?&nbsp;
Kevin:&nbsp;Celebrating our 90th anniversary is both a reflection on our history and a look to the future. Education is rapidly evolving, and we&rsquo;re committed to adapting to meet these changes.
Our aim is to provide innovative and relevant programs that not only help individuals achieve their personal goals but also empower them to contribute positively to their communities.
The British Council is about building connections, fostering understanding, and making a lasting impact. We hope to continue to be in Egypt for another 90 years and beyond.
How can people get in touch for more information about the British Council's services?
Ayat: For those interested, you can contact us via our hotline 19789, or social media channels, or visit one of our offices in Cairo or our office in Alexandria.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Mr. Kevin McLaven, Cluster Lead Teaching - British Council Egypt, And Ayat Al Taweel, Head Of Academic Management At The British Council On Celebrating 90 Years Of Educational Excellence And Cultural Exchange

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