In less than a month the British Council will be opening a new branch at The Curve, in Mutiara Damansara. It’s their first English teaching centre inside a shopping mall and they hope that families will appreciate the convenience it brings. Ginny Rowlands, who is leading the development project for the British Council, says “Parents can drop their children off for lessons and then get on with their weekend shop in the Curve!”
The teaching centre opens its doors on the second floor of The Curve providing children’s school holiday courses, scheduled until the end of December. From January the centre will deliver the same English courses provided in their Kuala Lumpur branch, for children between the ages of 5 to 17. They are also welcoming young adults and professionals to join their communicative English courses in the evenings.
The existing British Council teaching centre, in Jalan Ampang, has grown dramatically over the last 10 years and now teaches English to approximately 3,000 students in a typical week. Courses include fast track study skills that prepare students for university, professional skills for Malaysian and multi-national employees as well as the hugely popular interactive courses for children that supplement the English they learn at school and prepare them for key Malaysian school exams.
Malaysia’s recent education reform plan ‘Malaysia Education Blueprint’ is designed to provide schools with the support they need in technology, skills and expertise to prepare for an inter-connected, innovative region. The British Council supports that strategy directly through its English teacher development programmes across Malaysia and also, indirectly, by providing access to English taught by qualified and experienced teachers in our teaching centres in Kuala Lumpur and Penang. Now they want to set up more centres, in areas close to our customers’ homes.
The new centre, in The Curve, will continue the British Council’s popular English courses in its nine state of the art classrooms, using the latest audio visual equipment and of course a team of professional teachers to deliver the distinctive methodology the British Council is so proud of. Their ambitious plans for Malaysia include more branches in Klang Valley and other cities, over the next 5 years, as well as plans for involvement in full time education at primary and secondary levels.
“English is so important these days”, Ginny added “if children can get a good grasp of it when they’re still young it sets them up for study and career opportunities in the future! As East Asia grows in importance globally and the ASEAN community develops, English will be the ‘common’ language for business, trade and education”.
Anyone interested in finding out about the British Council’s English courses in KL, Damansara and Penang can find information about course content and schedules on the British Council web site at www.britishcouncil.my via email at info@britishcouncil.org.my or talk directly to their customer relations staff in KL on +60 (0)3 2723 7900 or in Penang on +60 (0)4 263 0330.