NILE signs MoU with Uzbek government to support education reform goals
The agreement will see NILE lead the delivery of Continued Professional Development training for English language teachers in Uzbekistan
(LONDON): Norwich Institute for Language Education (NILE) – a globally renowned teacher training division of INTO University Partnerships - has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Preschool and School Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan to support the country’s education reform goals. The MoU was signed at the Uzbek embassy in London last month.
The signing followed a six-month pilot of a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program, as part of a collaboration with British Council Uzbekistan, which took place in various schools across Uzbekistan. The joint venture saw NILE design and manage the CPD program with the ongoing support of British Council Uzbekistan and the Ministry at all stages.
Throughout this initial stage of the project, NILE trained, coordinated, and led a team of National CPD consultants who worked with English language teachers, school principals, and school-based CPD champions to promote, facilitate and record their individual and collaborative professional development activity over six months. The NILE team then analysed both the types of activity and its impact on teachers’ professional learning.
NILE is now preparing to launch Phase 2 of the pilot, following the pre-pilot Research Phase in 2022-23, and Phase 1 in 2023-24. Phase 2, which will run through to March 2025, will involve expanding the number of schools involved across all 17 regions of Uzbekistan and extending the CPD initiative to teachers from all subjects in the school curriculum.
During his recent visit to the country, NILE’s Director, Thom Kiddle, met with representatives from government ministries, universities, and training institutions, sharing insights about the pilot project’s success, and its objectives for the future.
The visit to Tashkent commenced with a presentation of findings from the initial stage of British Council Uzbekistan’s ‘Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in Schools’ project to the Ministry of Preschool and School Education of Uzbekistan and the English Reform Steering Group.