Join us as we celebrate milestones we achieved this year. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌
 

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Thank you!

This year, we had to keep our distance while staying connected. Through you, we were able to reach and engage an amazing number of people even with the challenges during this time.

We are grateful to work with you and look forward to continue doing so in 2021.

Happy holidays! #CultureConnectsUs

 
 

2020 Highlights

 

We showcase some of our key activities this year. 

 

Arts and creative industries

Before the lockdown, craftsmakers and artisans from around the world gathered in Cebu for the Making Futures conference.

'Together Apart: Art world voices that connect us now' – our first ever virtual exhibition featuring artworks from the British Council Collection and the National Museum of the Philippines connected viewers and arts leaders from over 46 countries during this time of isolation. 

To offer support to the creative industry severely affected by Covid-19, we brought together creative hubs across the region through our Communities of a New Future series.

 
More info here
 

Education

In January, heads of DepEd, CHED, TESDA and the BARMM Education Ministry joined the Education World Forum in London. DepEd Usec Atty Nepomuceno Malaluan discussed the results of the Programme for International Student Assessment.

We celebrated four Newton Agham scholars who completed their PhD. They are our first batch of PhD grant graduates.

We partnered with CHED to support teachers and learners transition to digital classrooms through PHL CHED Connect. We expanded our collaboration with them to further develop English-Medium Education (EME) and intern ationalisation of higher education in the country.

 
Learn more
 

Exams

Covid-19 and the community quarantines changed the way we delivered exams this year. We launched Aptis Remote and IELTS Indicator to provide remote testing, IELTS SpeakUp for online speaking practice and feedback, and EnglishScore, an app-based English skills assessment tool.

As we gradually resume operations in some areas, we implemented stricter safety protocols to protect our staff and test-takers.

To help candidates achieve their target score, we have organised over 30 hours of free webinars. We also delivered 10 webinars to support our partners, their teachers and staff, and a virtual awarding ceremony to recognise their efforts. We have partnered with Team Lyqa to reach more English learners.

Three Filipinos were among the 2020 IELTS Prize winners. They joined winners from the region receiving a total of GBP 129,000 to support their dreams of studying abroad.

 
Find out more
 

Society

Seven Filipino artists and groups working in the Bangsamoro region received the Art of Peace grant. These incredible grantees aim to promote peace in vulnerable and at-risk communities through their art-based projects.

Social enterprises from the Philippines participated in a global study providing a snapshot of their innovative response to Covid-19.

To support e-visits and e-hearings during this pandemic, we handed over 70 laptops and Php 3 million worth of equipment through our EU-funded Governance in Justice (GOJUST) programme. To safely transport Covid-positive patients, we also turned over a fully equipped bus to the Quezon City Jail.

We also developed a Manual on Caseflow Management for new trial court judges and in support of the justice sector reform in the Philippines.

 
Explore our work

Published reports

Through our work with industry leaders, local communities and research organisations, we are proud to publish significant reports in 2020 including:

Office closure for the holidays

Please note that our office operations will be closed from 24 December to 3 January. We will be back on Monday, 4 January 2021.

Our partners and grantees' milestones

Join us as we celebrate our partners, scholars and grantees' successes this year! Follow us on social media by clicking below.

 
 
© British Council
The United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. A registered charity: 209131 (England and Wales) SC037733 (Scotland).
 
 

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