Delhi, November 9, 2015: The British Council announced here today that it will be hosting the 11th Language & Development Conference in New Delhi from November 18-20. The conference is being hosted in association with Deen Dayal Upadhya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) of the Ministry of Rural Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Research Council of UK.
This conference is expected to attract over 300 policymakers, academicians and researchers working in the area of languages and development from India, Asia, Africa and other parts of the world. Some of the eminent speakers who will be present at the conference are Ajit Mohanty, Osama Manzar, Rukmini Banerji, Birgit Brock- Utne, James Simpson and Srikant Sarangi. This is the first time that India will be hosting this prestigious international conference. The conference’s main theme will be – ‘Multilingualism and Development’ with three sub-themes: Multilingualism and the Metropolis; Language, Technology and Multi-literacies; and Multilingualism, Marginalisation and Empowerment.
Rob Lynes, Director, British Council, says, “British Council is a firm supporter of the Language & Development Conference series because as UK’s cultural relations organisation, we believe that multiple languages sustain cultural diversity which has long term and sustained effect in securing peace and prosperity for us as individuals, for our communities and for our countries.”
The Language & Development series is held every two years that explores the role of language in development. It addresses issues of world, national, second and minority languages and the role they play in economic, social and cultural development; language policy, conflict transformation, language rights and identity; communication, education and development and language pedagogy. The conference will be webcast live- www.britishcouncil.in
About the British Council
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide. The British Council was established in India in 1948. The British Council is recognised across India for its network of 9 libraries and cultural centres. We offer a range of specialised projects in arts, education, exams, English language and society to audiences across India and more than 100,000 members. We also provide access to English language training and learning for both students and teachers, offer UK qualifications in India and enable opportunities to study in the UK.
For information on our work in India, please visit www.britishcouncil.in