As from yesterday the British Council is offering a new service to the population. The director, Rosalind Burford is calling for Mauritians to ?come tothe British Council to benchmark your English against international standards?.

During the two coming weeks, each person will get the opportunity to have a test to evaluate his/her English level. John Russel, the teaching manager, explains that the test consists in a short grammar exercise, a little writing task and, finally, an interview with a teacher.

?People often think they have a higher level than they actually do!? he says, ?but the aim is to help them improve their English and communicate better.?

The British Council already offers a wide range of services, including a library, exam services, a website to help learn English and a number of cultural events. But it is still seen as a ?mere library? and wants to be ?more than a library? to Mauritians.

Therefore, the British Council has planed a series of changes, which are part of its ?Strategy 2010? project. The first change aims at transforming the library physically and conceptually. ?The look of the library will be totally different, a complete new stock of books will be bought and both children and adults will have access to CDs, DVDs, video and computer games and Internet,? explains the information services manager, Viveka Reddi.

By 2010, the British Council wants to emphasize working with young professionals, using IT, multimedia and online resources. ?Our main focus is the development of English. If Mauritius wants to become a cyber island, people need to get good skills in what is called the ?international language?, reminds Rosalind Burford.

Everyone is invited to have the free test and can cash in to get information about English development in communications.

Preety NADARASAPILLAY