British Council expands Madrasah training capacity through ToT programme

The British Council, in collaboration with the Bangladesh Madrasah Teachers' Training Institute (BMTTI) and the Technical and Madrasah Education Division (TMED), has successfully completed an intensive six-day residential Training of Trainers (ToT) programme in Gazipur.

Delivered over 28 sessions by nine leading English Language Teaching (ELT) experts from Bangladesh, the training equipped 73 teacher educators from the Madrasah sector with the skills to deliver a newly developed teacher training module. This marks a major capacity-building milestone, increasing the number of trained facilitators from 2 to 73.

The residential training is a key component of a long-term partnership between the British Council and TMED, launched in February 2024 and continuing through December 2025, aimed at enhancing the professional development of Madrasah educators.

Before the in-person sessions, the Master Trainers completed a 12-week online course, Learning Pathway to Assured Certificate in Teacher Education (LPACTE), globally certified by City and Guilds, UK. They also participated in a six-month Community of Practice (CoP) forum, which began in July 2025, focusing on reflection, assignments, and contextual learning. The recently concluded ToT emphasised the practical application and delivery of the British Council-supported module.

During the inaugural ceremony, Maarya Rahman, deputy director, British Council Bangladesh, handed over copies of the new modules to BMTTI. She said, "BMTTI has faced a significant challenge: how can a single institute with limited faculty provide high-quality training to over 100,000 teachers nationwide? The answer lies in building the capacity of existing educators. Today, we see that solution in this room — 73 dedicated teacher educators who will now multiply this impact across the country."

Muhammad Rafiqul Islam, secretary of TMED, expressed appreciation for the collaboration, saying, "It is a great opportunity for the BMTTI Master Trainers to learn from national and international ELT experts. We look forward to future partnerships with the British Council."

Professor Mahmudul Haque, principal of BMTTI, said the initiative had "significantly increased the capacity of our teachers."

The training also included a key session on safeguarding, conducted by Aklima Akter, country safeguarding manager for the British Council.

At the closing ceremony, Shamresh Saha, team lead for English and school education at the British Council, said, "The British Council is committed to strengthening the systemic capacity of Bangladesh's education sector. This project is a true example of collaboration between the British Council and government institutions."

Other distinguished attendees included BMTTI Vice Principal Md Habibur Rahman, Dr Md Nurullah, Mohammad Sohel Rana, ADC (Education) Gazipur, Dr Farzana, and Golam Kuddus, faculty members of BMTTI. Sahelee Jamila Naz, English programme manager, represented the British Council and played a key role in managing the project.