Donna McGowan, Director, British Council Việt Nam delivered a speech at the conference. — Photo courtesy of British Council Việt Nam

HÀ NỘI — The British Council, the UK's international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations, on Saturday launched its annual regional flagship English language testing and assessment conference, New Directions East Asia, and the Future of English exhibition at the British University Việt Nam in Hà Nội.

Both the conference and exhibition are being held from October 27–29. This is the first time that the New Directions East Asia conference has returned to a major city, demonstrating the strength and dynamism of engagement between the British Council and Việt Nam on the topic of English language teaching, learning and assessment.

The conference and exhibition would create a dynamic space in which regional and international policymakers, educational professionals, academics, teachers and assessment practitioners can interact, exchange information and keep abreast of the leading developments in the fields of English teaching, learning and assessment.

Themed The Future of English Language Assessment in Learning Systems and hosted in partnership with the National Foreign Languages Project (NFLP), the conference will look to the future of assessment as a driver of learning and education system reform. This year the conference is being attended by more than 400 participants from over 12 different countries.

The Future of English exhibition, running alongside the conference features interactive elements which will ask visitors for their views on the future of the English language.

Heather Forbes, Regional Exams Director, East Asia, at the British Council, said: “This year’s New Directions East Asia conference explores questions around what English could look like and how it will be used. It aims to discuss what broader competencies are necessary in a rapidly changing and digitally enabled communication landscape, and how these can be developed and assessed in the future. It also explores the potential changes of language education policy and reform in Việt Nam and the wider East Asia region.”

Donna McGowan, Director, British Council Việt Nam, said: “Việt Nam has embraced foreign language tests as a core part of its education system following collaboration between the British Council and the country’s National Foreign Languages Project over many years. We are proud that UK assessment expertise has supported the design, evaluation, and implementation of effective language education policies in Việt Nam. We are delighted to host both the New Directions conference and the Future of English exhibition in Việt Nam this year as we celebrate two key milestones – 30 years of our presence here and 50 years of diplomatic relations between the UK and Việt Nam - forging new partnerships and reinforcing the bonds between the people of both countries.” — VNS