University of Chichester launch scholarship in memory of ‘outstanding’ student

The full scholarship, which is validated by University of Chichester and led by NILE (Norwich Institute for Language Education), is to be awarded each calendar year to an English language teacher.

It was launched in memory of Chichester alumna Erica Dirou, who tragically died in a car accident last year.

Francisco Gutierrez, a senior lecturer from the University’s Institute of Education, Health and Social Sciences, said: “We are pleased to support our partner institution, NILE, in honouring Erica and her family, who was a former University of Chichester student who graduated last October.

“Sadly, she passed away at the end of last year in a road traffic accident whilst travelling with her husband and two children from Cairo to Alexandria in Egypt.

"It is our intention to support NILE in keeping Erica’s memory alive through a scholarship that will enable other professionals to continue her excellent work as an ELT teacher and teacher trainer.”

Founded upon the promotion of education 180 years ago, the University of Chichester has been working with NILE for a number of years on the MA in Professional Development in Language Education (MAPDLE).

MAPDLE programme leader Dr Jason Skeet, a senior trainer and project manager, said: “I’m really proud that NILE, with the support of the University of Chichester, is able to offer this scholarship. Everyone at NILE felt very strongly the need to do something to honour Erica’s memory.

“We know that her family and her colleagues from the British Council in Egypt are very pleased with this announcement and the fact that it provides an opportunity for an Egypt-based English teacher or ELT teacher trainer to develop their educational career.

"Erica was a respected teacher-trainer herself, and this scholarship opportunity is a great way to remember her professional achievements as well as her outstanding work on the MA programme.”

The scholarship will be for the course fees for the full 180 credits of the programme, or fewer if Accredited Prior Learning applies to the scholarship recipient.

In order to apply, candidates must meet the entry requirements for the MAPDLE programme outlined on its website at www.nile-elt.com/ma-programme.

Applicants must also be a teacher of English Language, or an ELT teacher trainer, working in Egypt in the year of application, and not in receipt of any other NILE or Chichester scholarship.

If you meet the entry and application requirements, please email [email protected] to request a MAPDLE application form.

This should be completed and returned by email along with copies of relevant academic and professional certificates and a 500-word statement detailing which modules appeal most to you and why a place on the NILE MA programme would support own personal development as well as that of your learners / teachers in the Egyptian context.

You would also need to confirm that you are in a position to undertake the programme, taking taught courses face-to-face or online, and the associated time commitment both for the taught courses and the assignment writing periods.

Continuation of the scholarship through the MA programme is dependent on meeting the academic requirements of each module. NILE’s normal terms and conditions also apply.

Applications open at the start of April each year, and close on 15th May. The winning applicant will be announced by NILE, the University of Chichester, and BC Egypt on 30th May and can begin the programme from July 2020 onwards.

For more about the MA in Professional Development for Language Education (MAPDLE) go to www.nile-elt.com/ma-programme or contact [email protected]. There’s more about the University of Chichester’s 180-year history of training teachers at www.chi.ac.uk/education.