All the very best of British

Exposure to Western education opens doors to students going overseas

Doing a good turn for a friend 12 years ago turned out to be a life-changing act for William Vanbergen.

On a trip to China a friend asked the Englishman to help his relatives with an enrolment application for a university overseas. Vanbergen was eventually paid a small gratuity for his help, and it got him thinking about the commercial possibilities of offering such a service in the country.

Students practice horse-riding at Changzhou Oxford international college, one of many international schools in China. Photos Provided to China Daily

"So I founded BE education to help students going overseas, but soon discovered there was an increasing need for international schools in China, so I set up Oxford International College in Changzhou (a city in Jiangsu province)."

BE education now has about 1,000 clients, he says.

"With the increase in the number of well-off families and the middle class, more families are choosing to send their children abroad to receive further education," says Vanbergen, managing director of BE Education, which is based in Shanghai.

"Chinese is difficult to learn so parents don't want the children leaving the country when they are very young."

Nevertheless, one way for parents to get their children exposed to the Western education system at an early age is to send them to international schools in China, and that is fueling a boom in the business, says Vanbergen, who studied at Eton, the boarding school for boys.

"We founded Oxford International College of Changzhou to give students in China and elsewhere the opportunity to experience true British-style education in China, building their academic and personal skills so they can gain admission to the world's top-ranked universities.

"We accomplish this through our unique blend of the British national curriculum, certified foreign teachers, extensive extracurricular activities including rowing and other water sports, and access to expert consultants from BE Education for university counseling. Based on our collective years spent living in China, after having experienced the best of British education, we believe this combination brings unique value to students in China that will help them accomplish their personal and professional goals."

Among the college's students are ones from Europe and Singapore.

The college's location comes by dint of the fact that it is not just first-tier cities that need preparatory courses for international education, he says. Foreign education providers are increasingly setting up operations in second- and third-tier cities such as Changzhou.

British schools are increasingly setting up operations in China, too, among them Dulwich, Harrow, Wellington and Oxford International College, he says.

"And there are more to come."

Roger Sinnett, director of Beiyi Education in Shanghai, says that generally the Western education system is better at bringing out students' creativity and sporting abilities, while Chinese education does well in promoting self-discipline and memorization skills.

"British schools have a strong academic focus, but at the same time they also emphasize creative pursuits such as music, art or drama. They attach great importance to cultivating students' independence and creativity."

Oliver Kramer, former head of the Department of Oriental Languages at Eton, and principal at Zhejiang Ivy Academy Hangzhou, says there is much to be said for melding the merits of the education systems of Britain and China.

"We also teach students about traditional Chinese culture, including kung fu and traditional music. Every day the students have at least two hours of sport."

Zhejiang Ivy Academy Hangzhou has about 100 students, and 13 foreign teachers and six Chinese teachers, he says.

"Most of my students are from ordinary Chinese families, not well-off ones. Maybe they are just white-collar workers and don't have that much money, yet Chinese parents are very generous with their children's education. So even though our tuition fee is higher than that of a Chinese public school, they want their children to get an education here."

No matter what education system is being used, the most important thing is to cultivate a student's confidence, Kramer says.

"But since my children are living in China, let them learn Chinese well. Learning Chinese is also essential for students in becoming proficient in English. Learning Chinese well gives a child good abilities in comprehension . I will let my children study in China until junior high school, then consider sending them to international schools."

Wang Xiaoning, an English teacher at Beijing No 4 High School, says there is no point in sending a child to an international school just for the sake of it.

"Different children have different personalities and characteristics, and parents need to do whatever is appropriate for their children, also taking family finances into account.

"Some parents go to extremes, thinking international schools are all better than traditional ones. In fact Chinese traditional schools are now promoting the idea of cultivating students' self-confidence and learning habits. This is a value common to both Chinese and British schools."

Wang's 10-year-old son is in fifth grade at Beijing Huangchenggen Primary School, and ranked first in the final exams in his grade level last semester.

"I am proud of my son, not only because he is good at exams, but also because he has good study habits and always has questions. Several years ago, friends of mine said they could help my son get into a top British boarding school such as Eton, but I refused. They were all surprised. I reckon that as long as the right methods are used, traditional Chinese schools can also cultivate students' learning abilities."

huhaiyan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 09/11/2015 page25)