Only in Education Where Change is Really Possible
Speech by Principal Pelham Lindfield Roberts at the China World Academy establishment press conference.We are gathered here today because we believe in the importance and power of education.
It is my honour and privilege to share my experience and understanding of international education as your host today and Head of UWC Changshu China, asthe former Head of the UWC in India, as the Headof IB Schools in Europe, Africa and North America and myprofessional understanding goes beyond workingin schools, as an officer in the UK armedforces and as the director of a Primary Health Project in Cambodia, it is through these experiences, adecade ofmilitary service and two years in international development that I discovered thatit is only in education wherechange is really possible; so Itrained as a teacher ofhistoryat Oxford University, and soon accepted the offer of a job teaching at Atlantic College,the first United World College,in Wales, leading andforming my understanding of why international education was relevant fornational education.
When Ijoined the staff of Atlantic College the stories of the first students from the Peoples Republic of China who attendedAtlantic College in 1973 were told to me by my colleagues whoremembered their arrival.
You can seetheir picture outside inthe foyer.There are multiple understandings ofInternational Education from simply studying in another country or society or language with other - different people tostudying an international or global curriculum. Whilst theterm may have first been used byWilliam Russel in 1826 its modern evolution comes from those who collaborated on aninternationalcurriculum intheearly 1960's in Geneva, NewYork and in Wales. From thiscollaboration the IB and the United World Collegesemerged.
International educationwas stimulated by our inter-connectedness caused by globalisation; removing constraints on economic, social and cultural connections and through the belief that through educatingyoung people together during the age ofidealism, 16-19 years old, we could promote peace.There are two long-standing traditions within education:The first is concerned with the development of the individual, the second focuses on the role of education in creating a better society.At that time in the 1960’s there was the need for a transferrable curriculum andqualifications; this was to become the IB.
Those who founded UWC Atlantic College were moreinterested inthe development of global citizens and human values.The United World Colleges is a global education movement that "makes education a force to unite people, nations and culturesfor peace and a sustainable future." Central to our ethos is the belief thateducation can bring together young people from all backgrounds on the basis of theirshared humanity, to engage with the possibility ofsocial changethrough courageous action, personal example and selfless leadership.
We deliver a transformational education to adeliberately diverse group of young people, inspiring them to become agents of positive change.Today, UWC has 155 national committees and18schools and colleges on 4 continents, the majority of which focus exclusively on the 16-19 year-old age group: a time when young people’s energy and idealism can be guided towards empathy, responsibility and lifelong action.
The UWCschools and collegesuse theInternational Baccalaureate (IB) Diplomaas their formal curriculum, while emphasising the importance of experiential learning, community service and outdoor activities. Wefoster a lifelong commitment to social responsibility and we have a worldwide network of more than 60,000 alumni, who believe it is possible to take action to make a difference locally, nationally and internationally.
The emphasis in UWC education is on both changing self and changing society.
Neither is possible without the other andboth are achieved through openingminds, developing the capacity to think creatively, to create collaboratively, to collaborate empathetically and to learn experientially, in the real world with others who share the samevaluesand ideals.I predict that in the years ahead UWC will continue to lead thefield ofinternational education with more UWCschools and colleges opening in Asia, Africa,LatinAmerica, and theMiddleEast.
Workingwith the IB,UWC will continue to pioneer curriculuminnovations which require an interdisciplinary approach or collaborative research. Initiatives such as the IB World Studies Extended Essay or the IB Environmental Systems and Societies course will continue to be pioneered and UWC short courses will be developed to provide ever increasing opportunities for leadership, developing anunderstandingof design, complexity and systems toenhanceour students' capacity for creative solutions to the environmental challenges which we face.
On Universitycampuses UWC alumni will continue to dominate asindividuals who take on community leadership, solving socialproblems and building positiveinclusive communities.Already UWC Alumni havecreated a low cost high impact on line education through Sky-School.
My hope is that UWC will becomeinvolved in tertiary education, innovating new forms of learning and assessment relevant to the needs of society.We will always needschools in which individuals learn tolearn together and we must teach our children tolisten topeople whothink differently, who are different, who speak different languages, notto blindly accept but tocritically evaluate, to learn tothink for themselves with anopen mind.In the complex world of today andthe morecomplex world of tomorrow we will need all possible connectionsbetween China and therest of the World. The China World Academy in partnership with Tsinghua High School and UWC Changshu will offer Chinese students theopportunity of connections, of personal transformation and through personaltransformation societal transformation will follow.I lookforward to all that we canachieve together, united by commonaspirations for thebenefit of all.
United World Colleges
United World Colleges (UWC) is a unique global educational movement, with outstanding students selected from over 150 countries and regions. Founded in 1962, UWC makes education a force to unite peoples, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. At UWC, students with different cultural and socio-economic backgrounds live and study together and experience a transformative education that prepares students to become future leaders with a global perspective and dedication to social services.
UWC Changshu China offers two-year IB Diploma Programme and one-year Foundation Programme.
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