A NEW study by the UK National Audit Office (NAO) finds although the British Council's English language teaching and examinations business has a high reputation, it charges premium prices to the millions of test takers who sit its English language examinations and its network of teaching centers has contracted in recent years, the Guardian has reported.
The study - The British Council: Achieving Impact - was requested by Members of Parliament on the select committee of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). The FCO is the chief funder of the British Council, giving it up to ￡195 million ($381 million) each year.
The Council's activities in English teaching and examinations comprise seven main product areas - adult learners, young learners, professional learners, online content, peacekeeping English and teacher development. The main examinations offered are International English Language Testing System (IELTS), Business Language Testing Services (BULATS) and Cambridge English Language proficiency exams.
According to the study, the Council generated a surplus of ￡10 million ($19 million) from the examinations in 2006-2007 and made a total of ￡181 million ($354 million) from the examinations in the same year - an increase of 27 percent over the last five years. Most of the growth was derived from administering examinations. The NAO warned that the Council's teaching business has a high cost base and suggested it find cheaper ways of teaching in the future.
The British Council employed over 2,000 teachers who taught 1.2 million class hours of English to 300,000 learners in 53 countries in 2006-2007. The NAO said the Council's teaching operation provides a platform for activities in support of UK public diplomacy, notably by helping overseas governments expand the teaching of English in their schools and colleges.
However, the Council's teaching business has limited reach outside overseas capital cities. Some centers were even oversubscribed with waiting lists at peak times. This strongly suggests that the market is to expand profitable product lines if the Council adopts other suitable business models and practices.
A spokeswoman of the British Council said, "We are encouraged by the positive nature of the report and will use it as a basis for further advances."
