I was delighted recently to join a small Parliamentary delegation to Abu Dhabi to see the work currently under way by The British Council in their “Connecting Classrooms” project. This initiative is the Council’s new large-scale programme to create sustainable, mutually-beneficial partnerships between schools in the UK and in other countries throughout the world. These will build trust and understanding between young people in different societies and develop cultural awareness and skills to become global citizens.

The programme has already been started in Abu Dhabi with schools now working on joint projects and students establishing personal contacts through e-mail and other technology. In a packed programme of visits to schools, colleges and the Educational Council, the delegation was able to observe not only the work of the British Council but also the country’s education system.

Inevitably, the highlight of our trip was visits to schools currently participating in the projects. The Al Khansa School and the Al Shafei School are currently in the pilot phase of ‘Connecting Classrooms’ which is proving their capability of managing the joint curriculum projects. We were very warmly welcomed by the students and it was immediately obvious that there was tremendous enthusiasm for the project. We were given an excellent presentation by confident and articulate children and later shown the work that has been undertaken, particularly focussing on the environment and bird conservation. I am sure the schools will pass with flying colours and hopefully will be connected with a suitable UK school in the very near future.

Our visits to Al Mawahet Model School and Al Suqoor Model School were equally enjoyable. The students in these schools are already connected with Caedmon School in Whitby, in the North East of England. The MP for the area, Robert Goodwill, was part of the delegation and for him it was an excellent opportunity to further strengthen the links between the schools. The schools are working on a joint environmental project based on the Climate Change agenda, enabling students from two very different locations to tackle the same questions and learn from each other the challenges for each country. A joint questionnaire had been agreed with the same questions for each school and it was interesting to note the results - most obviously, the use of energy to keep homes cool through air conditioning in Abu Dhabi, in contrast to energy use in the UK to keep homes warm in a cool climate.

A tour of both schools demonstrated not only the enormous enthusiasm of the students and staff but the excellent resources available and the happy atmosphere, all contributing to a very positive attitude in which to learn.MPWe were greatly impressed with the schools we visited and they will live long in our memories. We hope that, following teacher exchanges, there will be opportunities for students to visit each other but I suspect funding will be one of the hurdles which will have to be overcome.

We were delighted to be able to meet H.E.Sheikh Nahyan, the Minister for Higher Education and Scientific Research, this proving most valuable in understanding the ambitious goals set by Government for the future. We also met with H.E. Dr Hanif Hassan, then the Minister of Education, and his officials to discuss broader issues of education policy and practice and to confirm our support for the British Council’s work in the country. It was pleasing to learn that education has such a high priority on the Government’s agenda. Finally, we were able to see Dr Abdulla Karam at the KHDA, and Dr Mugheer Al Khalili of the ADEC to learn about English and higher education projects and initiatives, including, of course, ‘Connecting Classrooms’.

Whilst there was not much time to see some of the country, we were able to fit in a number of more informal meetings with local businesspeople and stakeholders in British Council programmes. It was, of necessity, a brief but very full visit, but the delegation has achieved much in developing our understanding, hopefully leaving a positive impression with the children, and we made many new friends in the process.

Colin Breed is Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for South East Cornwall and Co-Chair of the Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding, CAABU.