British Council started on August 12 training workshops to improve English and skills to bring international dimension into schools for key teachers of 65 schools in Vietnam.

The five-day training is part of the “Connecting Classrooms” project under the framework of educational cooperation agreement signed in March, 2008 during the United Kingdom visit by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

The young in the UK and Vietnam can benefit from school linkages because it puts them right on tract for global citizenship, said British Council Vietnam Director Robin Rickard.

The training workshops will offer 140 teachers from five cities and provinces of Hanoi, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City opportunities to improve their international skills including English, developing and managing projects, applying ICT in teaching and organising activities for students at schools.

In between the workshops, a one-day camp “Colours of global citizens” will be held on August 15 for more than 200 Hanoi lower secondary school pupils. At the camp, pupils will have opportunities to demonstrate their international understanding and show activities that they have had at schools through decoration of tents, presentations, quizes and performances.

“Connecting Classrooms” is a British Council global project working in partnership with UK Department for Children, Schools and Families and ministries of education of seven other countries in East Asia.

The project has started in Vietnam since April 2008 with active participation of nearly 2,000 students and 200 teachers from 65 schools in the five cities and provinces.

The project gives them chances to exchange learning and teaching experience as well as make friends with those from the UK and six other countries and territories in East Asia, including Japan, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia./.