Comment Internationalism
Going global
I
Independent school education is one of the UK’s most promising exports, says Lord Wei of Shoreditch
ndependent school education has become one of Britain’s most promising potential exports, both in terms of incoming students to the UK and with the establishment of new boarding schools, courses, tutoring, and institutions overseas.
Such developments bring both great opportunities and some challenges. On the plus side, schools are often enriched by children who come from countries, such as China, whose pupils are increasingly better prepared and more able to contribute culturally and socially than before. They bring experiences, networks, and perspectives which can benefit all students in our schools. However, care does need to be taken to ensure there is a good balance – if there is only one pupil from overseas in a school, it can be tough for them to cope, conversely if there are too many overseas students the risk of cliques forming can be high. BE Education Ltd – a firm which helps children from Asia prepare for entry into British independent schools and Ivy League universities, and whom I recently started ad- vising, has worked closely with schools over the years. They sometimes rescue children from inappropri- ate placements others have made, often encouraging parents to consider schools they may have heard less about, but which represent a better fit given their child’s character. Some parents and schools might
feel that it is not worth responding to the demand emanating from de- veloping countries, whether in limit- ing the entry of certain pupils from abroad, or in holding back from growing their capacity in the UK or overseas. There is a huge upside to Britain from engaging with the demand out there, and not just financially. At a time when our country really needs to grow, an expanding educa- tion sector represents a godsend. And at a time when many countries need future leaders with the right skills to promote peace and prosperity, British schools are well positioned to help them as they have over many centuries
30 FirstEleven Summer 2012
past. When life is increasingly global, we need our children in Britain to become accustomed to dealing with many different cultures – if they are to succeed socially and economically. Recently, there have been many examples of the kind of benefits to British and overseas children that can come from working together on education in a cross-cultural way. BE was proud to host the Eton Choir as it toured around China, giving British pupils a taste of how large and fast-changing Asia is, while delighting local audiences with their beautiful repertoire. There has been a wave of recent projects in schools to improve infrastructure funded by wealthy overseas parents grateful for the education their children have received from British schools – which benefits all children who attend them. And in terms of widening opportu- nities, boarding schools established by BE and others overseas have been able to engage in training local teachers in surrounding schools. They have also encouraged pupils and alumni to give their time generously and to build funds to help provide scholarships for low-income chil- dren in villages to attend schools – demonstrating how a British education is also one that values responsible citizenship and service. The Eton network (as
with that of many other schools) in Asia has become increasingly extensive, due to many British members moving
abroad, as well as members from families in China who benefited from being educated in the UK. Undoubtedly, many other alumni of our independent schools will benefit in the com-
ing years as they increasingly seek to pursue careers abroad, or are involved in dealing with international counterparts – namely through gaining work experience or opportunities to study overseas, and in creating business partnerships. Who knows, perhaps all children in independent schools will one day have, as part of their educational ex- perience, the joy of studying abroad, while still being part of the same school network. Then we shall truly be able to say that British education has gone global.
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