The International Leaders in Education Program (ILEP) is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State and is implemented by IREX ( the international Research & Exchange Board), a Washington, DC based non-profit organization.

ILEP will bring outstanding secondary teachers from the Near East, South Asia and Southeast Asia to the for a five-month professional development program that seeks to :

• Enhance teachers’ expertise in their teaching discipline and equip them with a deeper understanding of best practices in teaching methodologies, lesson planning and the use of technology in teaching.


• Create among the educators a more nuanced understanding of the Develop productive and lasting relationships and mutual understanding between and international teachers and their students.


• Contribute to improving teaching in participating by preparing participants to serve as teacher leaders, who upon returning home will apply and share their experience and skills with peers and students.

ILEP will consist of a semester-long academic program at U.S. university, including coursework and intensive training in teaching methodologies, lesson planning, teaching strategies for their home environment, teacher leadership, as well as the use of computers for Internet, word processing and as tools for teaching. The semester-long program, which will commence in January 2009 and conclude in May 2009, will also include an internship at a secondary school to engage participants actively with the American teachers and students. 

Be secondary-level, full time teachers with five or more years of classroom experience in disciplines including English as a Foreign Language, Social Studies, Civics, Mathematics or Science

Be citizens of Malaysia

Be proficient in written and spoken English