-Reshma Ravishanker
IDP and British Council, two partners of The International English Language Testing System (IELTS, a popular high-stakes English language test, announced on Friday that British Council will sell its IELTS business in India to IDP. Effectively, all IELTS tests in India will be delivered by IDP henceforth.
IELTS, the popular English language test for study and migration and accepted by over 10,000 organizations around the world as a secure and reliable indicator of English language proficiency.
IDP, an international educational organisation has, as per the agreement, acquired 100 % of British Council’s India IELTS business for £130 million on a debt free, cash free basis. The terms also establish that British Council’s employees working on IELTS in India will become part of the IDP team with the handover of the business. The transaction is subject to customary conditions with completion expected to occur in August.
Andrew Barkla, CEO of IDP, said this agreement marks the start of a new chapter for IELTS in India. “By bringing together two expert teams, test takers can feel confident they are getting the best experience possible when taking their world-leading test,” Barkla said assuring, “Our test takers can focus on preparing for their test as planned, and our team is here to make sure everything goes smoothly on test day.”
Kate Ewart-Biggs, Interim CEO of British Council, reiterated its commitment to its broader services in India. “To ensure we could continue to deliver on our global cultural relations mission, we explored strategic options for the English examinations business with IDP in India in 2020. The proceeds of the sale will enable British Council to improve its financial position following the impact of COVID-19 on our finances,” Ewart-Biggs said.
“Our wider British Council work will continue in India. We remain committed to realising our goal of building trust and understanding between the United Kingdom and India through arts, education, assessment and the English language.”
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