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Across the Asia Pacific, international education is growing.
A recent study by International School Consultancy (ISC) Research found the number of international schools in South-East Asia alone has grown by 39% in four years.
Over the last 12 months, demand for international education has been strongest in China, Hong Kong and Indonesia, while Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand are also experiencing significant demand.
According to Jonathan Lynch, Senior Associate Clyde & Co, this growth is being driven by “the liberalization of regulatory frameworks across the Asia Pacific together with a middle-class population boom” – and it shows no sign of slowing down.
So what are the perks of sending a child to an international school?
Below, The Educator Asia speaks to several principals across the region to find out.
Brother Paul Hough, who heads up St Joseph’s International School, located in Malaysia, said there are two main factors that affirm the status of International schools.
“Firstly, all subjects are taught in English [except Bahasa Malaysia], which gives the student-wide access to online resources, and connection with schools in other countries,” Hough told The Educator Asia.
“The second one is access to International Curricula. We access Cambridge in UK, but others access HSC in NSW, Australia, International Baccalaureate courses, and many online courses. All schools must have total access to WiFi for both staff and students.”
For Brenton Hall, principal of Australian International School (AIS) Indonesia, an International school's main strength lies in educating students as “global citizens”.
“We assist students from all over the globe to understand global issues and give opportunities for them to work together to take action,” Hall told The Educator Asia.
“Contract staffing enables us to recruit teachers with strengths in technology and specific programs to offer an excellent 21st Century education to our students.”
Clive Rogers, the principal of Peninsula International School Australia (PISA), located in Malaysia, said the reasons that parents take their students to international schools vary from one parent to another.
“The main strengths of an International School are the different curricula of international schools which are often revised and can be more relevant to the dynamics of the world,” Rogers told The Educator Asia.
“I also think students have a more global exposure that comes with studying in an international school and as they often have teachers and students from different nationalities and cultures.”
Most importantly, said Rogers, the learning process in international schools is more engaging and practical.
“This is made possible by the small class sizes and access to more learning resources. The smaller class sizes enable a better student-teacher ratio, which in turn ensures individual attention to the students’ developmental needs,” he said.
Australian International School (AIS) Singapore principal, Dr Eddie Groughan, agrees.
“Students at International Schools gain exposure to a wide variety of cultural backgrounds, and it’s this diversity that is one of the key strengths of an international school environment,” Groughan told The Educator Asia.
“Students are given a unique view into different cultures and ways of living, which leads to a truly global perspective that they would not otherwise gain at school in their home country.”
Groughan said that being in a foreign country away from their traditional support network encourages students to change their mindset and “redefine who they are and who they wish to become”.
“They develop an appreciation of others and a greater sense of self through broadening their friendships and trying new things,” he said.
“This leads to the development of character, resilience, and self-awareness, which ultimately shapes them into successful, well-rounded adults.”