Mark Herbert, Global Head, School Programmes, British Council, Visits Ahlcon

Mark Herbert who spearheads school programmes all over the world is here in Delhi. The British Council has just launched its Graduate UK-India teaching Assistants Programme, under which young teachers from the UK will be hosted by schools in India. They will teach, share their best practices and take back the best from here. BC has also introduced the Masters’ Training programme in Core Curriculum skills covering thinking skills, innovative teaching strategies, collaborative learning.

Visit of Mark Herbert to our school marks the continuation of the interaction with experts, policymakers, practitioners that we engage with for our benefit. It was very gracious of Mark to have spent time with the students, teachers and me. I was struck by his keenness to know, observe and value add in all activities aimed at learning of the students. His thoughtful questions around classroom practices, learning styles, and assessment of co-scholastic skills made us all sit and think. He also interacted with a small group of newly joined students and answered their queries on the role of the British Council, higher education opportunities in the UK, availability of scholarships etc.

Very interestingly what came about during our discussions is the common concern that Head Teachers share across the world. Safety and security of the kids, their academic performance, meeting the aspirations of the teachers and parents, teacher quality and professional development comes on top of those concerns.