Bright Future for Young Iraqis [6th December 2007]

[6th December 2007]

This report by Carrie Huston Webb, intern to Lord Taylor, is about a reception held by the Iraqi Delegation's School Partnerships Project in the British Council Building

'This event was hosted by the British Council as a formal way of closing the first visit from the Iraqi delegation in their School Partnership project with the UK. The delegation was comprised of teachers from Iraq who were willing to put their safety aside, as they travelled to the UK to help set up a programme designed to teach the Arabic language to British students. The program is still young and at present there are no plans for the British teachers to visit Iraq (for security reasons).
There were about twenty teachers in all, with only about four who spoke conversational English. A speech was given by the director for the program from the British Council that stressed her appreciation for their dedication in an untried territory. She made mention that it was important that the lines of communication remain open between the two countries and that the programme should continue to strive for a better future. It was also brought up that four new Iraqi schools had joined the programme just that week.
At this event I learned a lot about the differences between the UK and the US in their language requirements for students. In North Carolina, they require two years of foreign language studies to graduate with honours for high school students. After speaking to David Wilson, president elect of the Association of Language Learning, I learned that even the UK has a great distance to go in making sure students get a strong education in language. He informed me that students used to be required to take foreign language until the age of fourteen. That age has now changed to eleven.
I also learned some differences between our ‘westernized’ culture and that of Iraq’s. For instance, it would have been inappropriate for me to introduce myself to an Iraqi man with my hand extended, as women are seen as ‘unclean.’ In my field of work it is very useful for me to experience as many different cultures as possible.'