The British Council has announced a debt-free and cash-free sale of its IELTS business in India to IDP for £130 million.
IDP will deliver all IELTS tests in India following the transaction. Employees of the British Council who work on IELTS in the nation will join the IDP team. The transaction is subject to customary restrictions with completion expected in August. It comes after the British Council had financial difficulties during the epidemic, forcing it to close the bulk to its language schools.
IELTS is the world’s “most popular” English language test for study and migration, with over 10,000 organizations worldwide relying on it.
“By bringing together two experienced teams, test takers can be certain that they are getting the greatest possible experience while taking their world-leading exam,” said IDP CEO Andrew Barkla. “Our test takers may concentrate on staying for their exams as planned, and our crew is on hand to ensure that everything runs well on test day.”
He continues, “Because of IELTS’ 30-year experience and worldwide partnership model, every center already has the globally-standardized quality and integrity standards in place.”
According to Barkla, the deal will enable many Indians to reignite their worldwide aspirations. “With competent teams, a strong strategy, and a broad geographic footprint across India, we will be able to move forward,” he added. By working together, we can assist more people in India to take the first step toward realizing their worldwide education, job, and career goals.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the British Council has had major financial challenges. According to a report by POLITICO, the organization was compelled to close 44 of 47 English language schools and 195 of 223 language test centers, thus cutting off its major source of revenue.
The British Council’s interim CEO, Kate Ewart-Biggs, reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to its larger services in India. “In India, only distributing IELTS through IDP would simplify and improve the customer experience for IELTS test takers. The high-quality service given to IELTS clients will stay the same, since IDP already provides IELTS in India,” Ewart-Biggs stated.
“We investigated strategic options for the English exams business with IDP in India in 2020 to guarantee we could continue to execute on our worldwide cultural relations objective. After the impact of COVID-19 on our finances, the money from the sale will help British Council to strengthen its financial situation,” he continued.
Ewart-Biggs stated that the British Council’s overall work in India will continue and that the organization is devoted to achieving its aim of fostering trust and understanding between the UK and India via the arts, education, evaluation, and the English language.
The IELTS test evaluates a test taker’s English language abilities in four areas: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. It is the only high-stakes language exam recognized for migration through Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK, and it may be taken on a computer or on paper.
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