siliconindia | | November 20178In recent years, we have witnessed massive growth in the number of international schools across the world. Private equity groups are investing heavily in chains of schools and small, independent boarding schools are becoming a rare species. Switzerland is a country renowned for its boarding schools, many of which sprung out of finishing schools which had previously drawn families such as that of Princess Gayatra Devi, who was sent abroad in order to develop her language and social skills. Such schools changed long ago, adapting their pro-grams to incorporate the most rigorous academic curricula and welcoming with open arms the previously excluded boys. To-day, they offer internationally recognized programs ­ British A Levels, International Baccalaureat, Swiss Maturité ­ which open doors to universities worldwide.Yet, the reality is that for every high achieving student com-ing from an international school in the world, there will be an-other student as equally high achieving from another school elsewhere. Their academic potential and talents may be practi-cally identical, so how are they able to differentiate themselves when applying to university or seeking employment?In today's world, it seems to me that inter-cultural under-standing is more vital than ever. We should be teaching our chil-dren to live alongside and fully immersed in other cultures. Swiss boarding schools are unique in this as their student communities are made up of dozens of students from around the world. Too often, boarding schools pay lip-service to multi-culturalism and have a sprinkling of overseas students. In Switzerland, this is not the case, as there is a tradition of welcoming foreign students, which goes right back to the finishing school days. Coupled IN MY OPINIONWHAT WE REALLY NEED TO BE TEACHING OUR YOUNG PEOPLEBy Sarah Frei, Marketing & Communications Director, Brillantmont International SchoolBrillantmont International School is a Switzerland-based fully accredited international boarding school for boys and girls aged 13-18 years. It offers courses leading to British IGCSE, AS and A Level examinations (Cambridge International Examinations), along with American courses such as PSAT, SAT, and Advanced Placement.with the development of railways at the end of the late 19th Century, the access to beauty spots and the promotion of mountain resorts for medicinal cures, Switzerland is a country used to welcoming others. Indeed, a recently published statistic says that more than 50 percent of Swiss residents have at least one parent born abroad. Multi-culturalism is therefore very much anchored in the Swiss way of life.Our children need to learn how to communicate with others, how to celebrate cultural differences, and in doing so, see how similar people in fact are. This happens so seamlessly in Swiss boarding schools to the point that differences and any inher-ent judgments are blurred. Schools with more mod-est means might feel they lack the means or the know-how to implement this. Yet, for such schools or those with less of a multi-cultural student body, it is nevertheless possible to celebrate international-ism. A simple Google search throws up boundless possibilities, many of which are quick and easy to implement with very little cost.
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