Amit Baveja
In a bid to sharpen education skills of teachers and employees of both the public and private sector Burlington English, a global leader in English language learning and assessment, has expanded into the Sri Lankan market.
Managing Director, Burlington English India and Southeast Asia, Amit Baveja told Sunday Observer Business that leveraging its success across India and South Asia, Burlington English aims to enhance English language education among Sri Lankan students as well.
He said that their entry into the Sri Lankan market is a strategic move to enhance the nation’s educational framework, helping students achieve their academic and career goals and teachers and employee to move to next level.
Baveja, said that their company is over 40 years old, with a strong legacy in various parts of the world.
“We have a significant presence in the U.S., and we are one of the leading publishing houses in several European countries. For instance, we have a very strong presence in Spain, which is also the largest market for English language learning and teaching.”
“We’ve been mostly focusing on other markets, particularly in Europe and the U.S., for a long time and only around three and a half to four years ago, we began expanding into the South Asian market. Starting from India.”
“For our next expansion we have selected Sri Lanka first due to its ‘easy approach to investors’ and even after the change of government we see this continuing.”
“After Sri Lanka, we are looking at the Maldives, followed by potential expansion into Bangladesh and then to the Asian region in Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam.”
“We’ve received a lot of warmth and affection from everyone we’ve interacted with. There have been absolutely no challenges or difficulties. The level of acceptance we’ve experienced from various parts of Sri Lanka has been overwhelming.”
“We are committed to supporting education, regardless of changes in government or upcoming elections. Our focus is on helping the people and the education system of the country.”
“We have an ambitious plan for the next five years. Our goal is to empower 550,000 teachers and 500,000 learners in Sri Lanka. This includes both students and adults in the professional space.”
“In addition to our focus is on English language learning and teaching we provide resources in the form of books, assessments, and courses, along with training programs. We offer language learning solutions for both students and adults.”
He said that he was in Sri Lanka recently and was at the Colombo Book Fair. “I was amazed by the response — it was unlike anything I’ve seen, even in India.”
“My purpose for attending was also to meet with educators and partners to introduce them to our presence in Sri Lanka.”
“We provide a lot of support to schools in the form of training, along with publishing books. When we partner with schools, they adopt our resources as part of the curriculum. These books are then used by students to develop and enhance their language skills.”
“When we partner with schools, we’re not just delivering books—we’re helping their entire ecosystem providing full support including regular training sessions for teachers.”
“For instance, while I was in Sri Lanka last week, we held amazing training workshops for school leaders and educators in Kandy, Kurunegala, and Colombo. We had about 50 attendees in Kandy, around 65 in Kurunegala, and nearly 80 in Colombo, representing over 100 schools across these cities.”
“They experienced first-hand how we conduct our training sessions, which are diverse and tailored for teachers once the school has partnered with us.”
AI driven platform
The AI-driven platform we’ve developed enhances learners’ pronunciation and vocabulary skills. It’s a personalized engine that tracks tongue movement to help understand how the user is speaking, offering feedback on pronunciation.
“This has been a key area of our research, and it’s now fully integrated into our products.”
I’ve interacted with over 200 educators in the past five or six days, and most of them have given us very positive feedback and are looking at new techniques in the education sector.”
“They’re not just looking for excellent materials but also for support at the school level. This is something we’ve successfully done in India, where we work with over 1,500 schools in more than 300 cities.”
Our success has always been in staying close to the customer.
Expansion plans for Sri Lanka
Elaborating expensing and model in Sri Lanka he said that they hope tp start by partnering directly with schools, both government and private.
“We aim to help the education system by working with educational bodies, providing them with the best tools so that the highest quality training can be delivered to the learners.”
“We also train educators, helping them improve their teaching techniques and equipping them with the latest teaching tools.”
“Beyond that, we’re involved in skill development for adult learners, offering courses tailored to specific job requirements, not only in Sri Lanka but also abroad.”
“We will also open our doors to corporate and higher education bodies to help adult learners develop the language skills required for specific job profiles.”
“For instance, while a student or candidate might be technically sound, we assist in honing their language skills for jobs like engineers, healthcare professionals, hospitality, travel and tourism, and retail.”
“We definitely have investment plans to establish a local presence in Sri Lanka. We’re already scouting for talented individuals to join our workforce in the country.”
Sri Lanka, with its rich cultural heritage and thriving tourism, banking, and communications industries, is experiencing steady economic development.
“The services industry now comprises more than 60% of the GDP of the country. Significantly, almost 25% of the country’s population can speak English, indicating a strong foundation for English language proficiency in Sri Lanka.”
“This existing strength, coupled with a growing desire for global opportunities, presents an opportunity for learners to enhance their skills and pursue their ambitions. This presents an opportunity for Sri Lanka’s youth to drive growth, advance their careers, and contribute to a more prosperous future.”
“We are confident that our innovative programmes and high-quality resources will help equip the next generation of Sri Lankan learners with the skills needed for success, both academically and professionally.”
