Shillong, Oct 11 (IANS): British Council India and the North Eastern Council (NEC) on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen educational and cultural cooperation.

Alan Gemmell, OBE, Director British Council India and NEC's Director (HRD & E) K.H. Siile Anthony inked the MoU to support the knowledge ambitions and economic growth of the eight northeastern Indian states.

As a result of this agreement, artists and the cultural community of the northeastern states -- Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura -- would get the opportunity to share culture, creativity and ideas with the UK.

Government school teachers and faculty members of higher education institutions would also gain access to English language learning, quality education and internationally benchmarked assessments, a statement said.

"We've been inspired every day of the last 70 years by the artists, students, scientists and policy makers we've worked with in India and the northeast... By signing a MoU with the NEC, we are able to make an impact across eight states simultaneously, and I hope it will enable more young people to realise their aspirations in education, skill development and arts and culture," Gemmell said.

The pact will work towards improving English communication of state civil servants, developing capacity-building initiatives in state governments, supporting improvements in the teaching of Mathematics and Science, capacity-building programmes for faculty and senior administrators of higher education institutions.

It will seek to increase student and academic mobility for all eight states of the region, the statement said.