Language as soft power: Governments seek to promote and teach their language overseas as a way to wield soft power and cultural influence as well as to cultivate diplomatic and economic ties between nations. One way they do so is through embassy-associated cultural institutes, such as the UK’s British Council, Germany’s Goethe-Institut, and France’s Institut Français, all of which operate around the world, including in Egypt. Enterprise spoke to officials from all three institutes to find out why language instruction is an integral part of their mission, what sets them apart in the market, and what their business models look like.

Age-old organizations: The British Council has been in Egypt for 86 years, said Kevin McLaven, the organization’s MEA cluster and country lead for English teaching, adding that the Egypt office was their first global office. The Goethe-Institut’s Cairo and Alexandria offices — which are among the organization's earliest institutes established worldwide — are 66 and 65 years old, respectively, Nivin El Sioufy, head of the Language Department at the institute's Cairo office, told Enterprise. Meanwhile, the youngest of the bunch, the French Institute in Egypt, set up its Alexandria office in 1967 and Mounira headquarters in 1996.

Language is a springboard for cultural understanding: Teaching languages is perhaps the most fundamental pillar of what cultural institutes do. “Language is particularly important because it facilitates Goethe’s role of acting as a bridge between Egypt and Germany” by enabling both parties to communicate and offering students a tool to learn about Germany’s culture, said El Sioufy. “The purpose of the British Council has always been about fostering better communication, understanding, and collaboration across different cultures,” said McLaven. “It's virtually impossible to achieve those aims and objectives unless you're able to sit down together and have meaningful communication.”

Cultural institutes have a significant edge over smaller language centers: Unlike local language centers, cultural institutes stand out by providing access to certified language exams and qualifications. “The French Institute is an accredited source for international qualifications like the DELF and DALF diplomas or the TCF and TEF exams, which are required for emigration to Canada as well as studying in France. These aren’t available at any other language centers here,” said Nancy Ibrahim, the director of French Institute’s language center in Egypt’s Mounira office. The same goes for the British Council, which administers all GCSE and IGCSE exams across the country, and Goethe, which offers several exams based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

A holistic approach: Cultural institutes are able to provide students with a richer overall experience than smaller language centers through a wider, more holistic offering. All three institutes offer a host of cultural activities and support scholarships for students looking to study in their respective countries. “The French Institute offers a film screening every Monday, continuous exhibitions, a department for teaching Arabic to non-native speakers (usually French students), and many activities between French and Egyptian students that help both practice the language they’re learning,” said Ibrahim. “Because of our global presence, we're able to offer our students a lot more international exposure,” said McLaven. “We have programs for both adults and children where they can learn alongside people from other countries elsewhere in the world.”

Inclusivity matters: “Another thing that we pride ourselves very much on is being an inclusive education provider. Amongst our students, we have learners with disabilities and special needs,” said McLaven. “We will always do absolutely everything we can to accommodate those needs, understand from the individuals themselves what challenges they may face, and how our teachers can support them in overcoming some of those challenges.”

Egypt is a “super priority country” for the British Council, said McLaven. “It's the largest operation we have across the Middle East and Africa, however you look at it — in terms of number of staff, number of students, exam candidates, or the programs that we offer,” he added. This owes to a number of factors, including the country’s population size, its potential to be a significant global player, and its geopolitical importance, he explained. “Having a stable, prosperous, friendly nation in the region is hugely important” to the UK and has become “more so, sadly, in the past 12 months,” he said, alluding to instability in the region.

A bigger population translates to more demand: The programs that the British Council offers are pretty much standardized around the world. But there are some countries that maybe aren't able to offer the full range of those programs simply because they don't have the same demand that exists in Egypt, McLaven said. “I think the big difference here is that we just have very large numbers of students following those programs.”

Making a buck isn’t the ultimate goal: While all three organizations are not-for-profit, there is some variation in the way they fund their operations. Financial support from the German Foreign Ministry is Goethe’s main source of funding, covering about two-thirds of the institute’s expenses, while fees from German courses and exams cover the remainder, said El Sioufy. Conversely, the British Council generates most of its income from English courses and exams, said McLaven. Partnership agreements, contracts, philanthropy, and funding from the British government are also a major source of funding, according to the institute’s global 2022-2023 annual report (pdf). Honing in on the French Insitute’s language operations specifically, Ibrahim said that the language center is self-financed, using income from courses and exams to cover its expenses.

That’s not all: In part two, we’ll delve into how these institutes are growing their operations — opening up in more locations and offering customized courses and teacher training. We will also dive into the challenges that the institutes face, including economic headwinds and trouble sourcing the right teachers, and how they have evolved over the years.

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