British Council Palestine Marks the Successful Completion of the Get Speaking Programme 

The British Council, in partnership with the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education and UNRWA, has concluded the Get Speaking programme in Palestine, an initiative designed to strengthen English language teaching by building teachers’ confidence and ability to teach speaking skills more effectively, even in a complex operating environment.
Since its launch in 2022, the programme has supported more than 1,000 English teachers across different schools. According to the final Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning report, the percentage of teachers rating their own English speaking skills as ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’ rose by over 16% by the end of the programme. Confidence has also grown significantly, with 83% of teachers feeling more confident speaking English and 95% reporting increased confidence in teaching speaking skills in their classrooms.
Teachers also noted an increased use of English as the main language of instruction, helping to create more immersive learning environments for students. By the final stage, 93% of teachers said they used English frequently in their lessons, compared to 75% before the programme began. The initiative also fostered stronger connections between teachers, with 93% regularly sharing ideas and best practices with colleagues through live sessions and collaborative activities.


Shahida MacDougall, British Council Country Director in Palestine said:
“We are incredibly proud of what the Get Speaking programme has achieved in partnership with the Ministry of Education and UNRWA. Supporting over a thousand teachers to build their skills and confidence has already made a clear difference in classrooms across Palestine. By the end of the programme, more teachers were using English regularly as the main language of instruction, creating more immersive learning environments for their students. It is especially encouraging to see 83 per cent of teachers now feel more confident speaking English and 95 per cent feel more confident teaching speaking skills. These results show how investing in teachers directly strengthens learning outcomes and opens up new opportunities for young people.”
Muaweyah Amar, Chief Field Education Programme- UNRWA said:  
“Get Speaking program provided UNRWA English language teachers with a great opportunity to transform their classroom practices, to be more interactive and encouraged school-aged children to develop their critical thinking approach. UNRWA teachers engaged actively in this programme over 3 years with all of challenges and barriers facing them due to huge external threats and they have succeeded to make a difference in teaching and learning English language at school level”.  
The Get Speaking programme was del”vere’ through the British Council’s English for Teaching course, combining self-paced online study with live sessions, discussion forums, practical assignments and peer support. This blended approach gave teachers practical strategies to encourage student participation and boost learners’ confidence in speaking English.
The British Council remains committed to supporting teachers’ professional growth and will use the lessons learned through Get Speaking to inform future training and development opportunities for English teachers in Palestine.