The event was organised by the British Council, the Association of Sudanese Teachers of English (ASTEL), Al-Neelain University, the University of Khartoum, Omdurman Islamic University and the Open University of Sudan. It was sponsored by the British Council and held at the University of Khartoum.
The conference highlighted the fact that demand from both the public and private sectors for graduates with good English skills is now at an unprecedented level and that the current provision of ELT at university level is unable to meet this demand and is in urgent need of reform. The papers focused on the key issues regarding ELT – namely curriculum reform, teacher training, language testing, using new technologies and engaging the private sector – and looked at how these could be tackled within the relevant contextual constraints.
Most papers were delivered by academics from Sudan’s main universities, although a number of presentations were made by speakers from other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Angola, Cameroon, Senegal and South Africa. These talks focused on examples of good practice that could be emulated in the Sudanese context. Papers were also given by speakers from the UK universities of Sussex and Westminster, and by representatives of several major international ELT publishers.
The individual chapters in this publication are adapted written renditions of the papers and presentations delivered at the conference, updated to reflect the current situation where possible. All the articles have gone through a peer review process. We hope that this volume provides a permanent record of the range of high quality and academically rich talks given at the conference, while also offering an insight into the stimulating and thought-provoking ideas these generated. We also hope that the publication will provide focused guidance to teachers, researchers, and educational managers and policy-makers who are engaged in ELT-related activities in contexts similar to those in Sudan.
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