Education, formal
education has its roots in ancient India. The Gurukul, was literally the first
‘boarding’ or residential school in the world. The Vedas delineate the world’s
first curriculum as teaching students not just the basics of astronomy, science
and mathematics, but a strong moral, ethical and value code, which would turn
them into citizens of the world.
Circa 2014, the world
as we know it is getting smaller by the day, and the need of the hour is or
education to evolve to accommodate the changes, both social and cultural, in
order for young minds to be moulded into future leaders and ideal citizens. It
is here that a hark back to the curricula outlined by the Vedas is somehow the
need of the hour. That’s where International education steps in.
In this series, we will
explore the nature and scope of International education and evaluate the
practical aspect of how it adds to a child’s growth as an individual and as a
citizen of the modern world.
The brass tacks: What
is International Education?
According to Wikipedia:
An international school is a school that promotes international education, in an international environment,
either by adopting a curriculum such as that of the International Baccalaureate
or Cambridge International Examinations, or by following a national curriculum
different from that of the school's country of residence.
In its simplest form an International Education represents
a break from the conventional, established and widespread form or standard of
education in a country and sets a more global, practical and wider scope of
education in its place.
A little bit about International Schools: A brief history:
The notion of international education can be traced back
to the time globalisation first manifested itself in the late 19th century, and
a need was felt for a ‘global standard’ of education that would, in effect,
enable peoples of the world to understand each other a bit better. With this
end in mind the first international schools were set up in countries like
Japan, Switzerland and Turkey. Today nearly 200 years later, this trend of
uniform, quality education is now a part of the Indian context as well.
When does a school qualify to be or call itself an
International School?
First of all, for a school to qualify as an International
School, it needs to meet a set of criteria laid out by International
Association of School Librarianship, in 2009 in Italy. The criteria are as
follows:
●
Transferability of the student's education
across international schools.
●
A moving population (higher than in state
schools or public schools).
●
Multinational and multilingual student body
●
An international curriculum.
●
International accreditation (e.g. Council of
International Schools, International Baccalaureate, North Eastern Accrediting
Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges).
●
A transient and multinational teacher
population.
●
Non-selective student enrollment.
●
Usually English or French language of
instruction, plus the obligation to take on at least one additional language.
The distinct advantages of an International
Education:
There are several distinct advantages of an
international education, chief among which are:
●
Standardisation of curriculum, enables a
student to learn, without being left behind, wherever in the world he/she might
be, in case of a family move.
●
Greater interaction with fellow students of
varied nationalities, helps foster greater tolerance, respect and cultural
exposure for a student.
●
Teachers of varied nationalities expose
students to cultural nuances that are unique to the teacher’s own nation and
helps bring to life the ‘world’ in a way.
●
A non-selective enrollment system makes
international education accessible to a larger number of students
●
International education encourages the adoption
of multiple languages that add immense value to a student.
The next part of our
series will examine each of these advantages and go into greater detail about
the rising number of such institutions in the country.
