Is what cadets can now learn at military institutes
Over thirty events were held in Lviv in mid-November as part of the Modern Britain Information Fair organized jointly by the British Council and British Embassy in Ukraine. Young people, who are the focus of British Council activities, visited a festival called All Children Are the Best, Because They Are Equal, followed by the premiere of Quartet, a play by contemporary British playwright Ronald Garwood, as well as an exhibition of British books, a concert by the Perpetuum Mobile Orchestra and actors of the Zankovetska Theater, along with a presentation of the European Youth Parliament in Lviv, to name only a few. Notably, one of the major achievements of this year’s information fair was the opening of the Self Study English Language Center on the premises of the Hetman Sahaidachny Military Institute of the Lviv Polytechnic National University.
The self study center can receive 1000 members per week, offering both traditional study aids such as books and tape recorders as well as new technologies such as computer software, Internet access, digital video disks, and video materials. The center’s goal is to help servicemen and cadets to improve their English. Notably, the members’ self study will not be a spontaneous process, since center staff will create individual study plans after determining each member’s language level. Incidentally, two similar centers will be opened in Sevastopol and Chernihiv. In general, the British Council cooperates with sixteen military institutes in Ukraine. The project is funded by Ukraine’s Defense Ministry and the British Foreign Office.
Returning to the information fair in Lviv, it was timed to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the British Council office in Lviv operating on the premises of the Ivan Franko National University. Throughout these years it has actively carried out effective language teaching and study projects in Lviv, popularizing Britain’s cultural heritage, as well as supporting grass roots organizations committed to human rights, protecting children’s rights, and caring for underprivileged children. It has been providing access to a wide array of information on the United Kingdom, its achievements in the spheres of culture, science, education, and public life.
Speaking at the information fair opening ceremony, British Ambassador to Ukraine Robert Brinkley said that Lviv oblast occupies a special place in the two countries’ bilateral cooperation. The Lviv office of the British Council is launching many interesting programs, as well as hosting educational seminars and interest clubs. It offers access to up-to-date electronic databases and a library of 8000 volumes. Over 1,500 Lviv residents are on its membership list. Moreover, the UK Government Department for International Development jointly with the Lviv Oblast State Administration has launched a number of projects to strengthen the society’s democratic foundations, the role of local government, and the population’s influence over state decisions (in particular, the first concept of planning the strategy of socioeconomic development of Lviv oblast until 2011 has been drafted and will be offered for public discussion in December). All these programs help Ukraine’s society and state embrace the dynamic mechanisms of European integration.
