Wendy Alexander: British Council role in promoting cultural relations is as vital as ever

The British Council’s board meets in Edinburgh on Tuesday, May 23. It was formed in the 1930s to counter the rise of fascism in Europe by promoting culture, education and the English language. Today it has a presence in over one hundred countries around the world and is dedicated to the same basic aims.

Many overseas students choose the UK and Scotland

It also promotes educational exchange between the UK and other nations. The council’s expertise in developing cultural relations to drive international cooperation – building trust and connections – and communication arguably matters more in times of heightened global tensions.

The Ukraine conflict has brutally reminded us of the need for hard power military capability, it has also highlighted the importance of soft power, with the Ukrainians rallying their identity, culture and language in the face of tyranny.

Other challenges such as climate change, pandemic preparedness, populist politics, fake news, authoritarianism, and inequalities all benefit from the long-term thinking and trust building that are at the core of cultural relations.

In the twenty-five years since devolution, the British Council has become increasingly adept at highlighting the four nations’ character of education and culture, skilfully acknowledging the different political and cultural dimensions across the UK. The Scottish education and cultural sectors work effectively with the British Council and the UK and Scottish Governments to promote Scotland globally.

The British Council is at the heart of promoting the UK as a first-class study destination in a fiercely competitive global market for international students. Higher education is one of the UK’s major soft power assets. One in four leaders around the globe were educated in the UK and international education is worth £26 billion a year to the UK.

Since Brexit, we have seen a drastic decline in the number of European students studying in both Scotland and the UK but demand from outside the EU continues to rise, particularly with the re-introduction, in 2019, of the Graduate Route visas granting international graduates the right to remain, typically for two years, to gain work experience. And while UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has threatened significant changes which would restrict this right, a broad coalition in Whitehall and beyond have pushed back.

With Scotland’s shrinking working-age population, we should encourage international students to progress to graduate roles and contribute to growing the Scottish economy. And for those who don’t make use of skilled migration routes but return home they will help build international professional and trading networks with Scotland.

In 2021, the Scottish Government committed to developing a Scottish International Education Strategy and publication is expected this summer. The new strategy should facilitate Westminster, Holyrood, the British Council and individual institutions more closely cooperating help inform an 18 or 22 year-olds living thousands of miles away to make one of the most important decisions of their life – where and what to study.

Post-pandemic, young people seeking an international education frequently keep three countries under consideration until relatively late in their search, for example the UK, Canada and Australia. A UK higher education is associated with quality. However, we often lag in international students’ perceptions of welcome, price, careers support, safety and food and weather. We may be unable to fix the weather, but the other dimensions need constant attention if the UK is to remain the second destination of choice after the US.

Ensuring Scotland is a favoured choice will depend on tighter coordination by all Scottish and UK actors to deliver a smooth application journey, affordability and opportunities to work whilst studying, authentic engagement with current students, predictable visa processes and the right to work experience post-graduation. Our worldwide reputation for educational excellence is hard won and easily forfeited.

Over the centuries, Scots have taken our culture around the globe. Today’s Scotland is the product of our complex colonial, post-colonial, and European histories. We benefit from being a wonderfully multicultural, diverse society.

The British Council is an unsung hero in sharing the complex, open, and cosmopolitan character of modern Britain, including its four nations.

The UK remains a global leader in soft power and cultural relations. However, this status is not guaranteed and we cannot rely on past achievements in a more competitive world. The British Council depends on the UK Government’s willingness to support its operations around the globe and on the ground the FCDO’s network of Embassies are crucial partners for local British Council operations. In return, the British Council’s cultural relations expertise is a powerful element in UK’s international toolkit.

•Professor Wendy Alexander is Scottish Higher Education Trade and Investment Envoy and a British Council Trustee