Ideology and Market Forces in International Schooling:
A United World College Case Study
“He who wishes to help his people must combine the power to think with the will to act”
-Plato (Via Halls 155).
Introduction
There is a secondary-school system, with 14 branches across five continents. The average school has 200-300 students representing, on average, 85 countries. Outside of the host country, quota systems restrict the enrollment of students per nation, ensuring an international community. Most students hold full scholarships – all students at the U.S. campus are fully-funded – which can even include generous funds for tertiary education (Martinez & Martinez 49). The schools are directed by the President, Queen Noor of Jordan, while former Presidents include Prince Charles of Wales and Nelson Mandela (History of UWC). With national selection committees in over 185 countries, the United World Colleges (UWC) are not just an international school in name, but emanate intercultural peace, diplomacy and service through its entire ethos. UWC’s mission, “[to make] a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future,” (Mission and Values UWC) is realized through far more than its International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum; with an emphasis on community service, language and intercultural communication and mutual understanding on a global and local scale, UWC ensures that its students graduate with an international perspective in regard to global challenges. This sense of responsibility to the community permeates through all levels of the schools. Students in UWC America West are taught wilderness skills so that they can serve as volunteers in the economically and geographically bare regions of Montezuma, New Mexico, UWC Li Po Chun – Hong Kong’s school – teaches diving and marine biology so that students can practice eco-monitoring of Hong Kong’s endangered coral reefs, and UWC of the Atlantic trains students in sea rescue, which has resulted in over 200 saved lives (Hui 13). On the administration-side, UWC America West recognizes its call to service by training educators from all across the Americas in IB curriculum development and instruction (Martinez & Martinez 49).
UWC strives to teach tolerance among its students, who travel long distances for this unique approach to international secondary schooling; however, UWC’s global mission is intended to make local differences. Having receiving comprehensive learning at the globe’s top institutions, these students should be primed to conjure social justice and change in their home communities. Ultimately, its United World College’s unbridled and comprehensive approach to global identity which distinguishes itself from other international schools. Through a mission-driven approach to admissions and enrollment, curriculum development and service learning, United World College has established itself as a beacon of ideological purity in the field of international education.
The International School Paradigm
International schools exist in a peculiar paradigm worldwide: are international school’s ideological or market-driven? At its roots, one could argue that international schooling was built upon an ideological bedrock designed to serve different cultures and peoples. As Bray and Yamato note regarding Hong Kong’s international school system in Comparative Education in a Microcosm, the first international school, dating back to 1855, represented over 100 students from 10 nationalities (54). However, since the 1980s, many International Schools have emerged with a different driving force; in the words of Schwindt from The Development of a Model for International Education, “just as the raison d'etre of an international school is not singularly to provide international education, but rather to cater for also the needs of expatriates, the reason for enrollment is are rarely ideological in nature and frequently not openly proclaimed” (74). For many locals and expatriates alike, international schooling stands alone as a superior alternative to the local public schools; many international schools “are established to cater to the needs of the expatriate and local communities that would like an alternative to the national education system” (Tsumagari 290). Using the Hong Kong International School system as an example:
[Of the 47 international schools,] [s]ome of Hong Kong’s so-called international schools are in fact national schools based on systems in foreign countries and almost exclusively serving nationals of those countries…Other schools adopt the curricula of particular foreign countries but accept many students from Hong Kong and from other parts of the world. In 2000/2001, only seven schools were international in the sense of being orientated towards the International Baccalaureate” (Bray & Yamato 54).
To serve these populations, International Schools often provide English instruction, mirroring the U.S. or U.K. national curricular ideals. As a result, many international schools foster an environment quite opposite of its ideological-driven mission (Tsumagari 291). It should be noted that it is not the intent of most international schools to foster a neocolonialist discourse, and thus international schools should not be considered harbingers of neocolonialism. Nevertheless, the international educator should be cognizant and aware of the ideological and market tensions and the stakeholders pulling international schools toward both global awareness and western values.
United World College: Background
Over the past 50 years, “even though contexts have changed, UWC [has remained] a model of ideology-driven international education” (Tsumagari 291). Born as a response to the Cold War, UWC did not become a 14-branch, 50,000 student-alumni force overnight. Opening its doors in 1962 in South Wales, the UWC Atlantic College was founded by Kurt Hahn, a German educator who believed that the cohabitation of global youth could combat the divisions brought about by differing political ideologies (James 13). Under the leadership of Lord Mountbatten, 1st Earl of Burma – known for his extensive experience in South East Asian governance and leadership – by 1974, UWC expanded via campuses in Singapore and Vancouver, the latter which was supported by Lester Pearson, former Canadian Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. Over the years, UWC has partnered and opened several schools which have advanced its mission as a truly international community of service and learning. In 1981 Waterford Kamhlaba School in Swaziland became Waterford Kamhlaba UWC of Southern Africa. Waterford Kamhlaba was founded as a multi-racial school in opposition to South Africa’s apartheid regime. UWC’s mission of sustainable peace supports the extinguishing of racial injustice, and this initiative was only bolstered when Nelson Mendela become joint president of UWC in 1995. Concurrently to Mr. Mendela’s appointment, UWC partnered with the Red Cross and the eight Nordic governments to establish the UWC Red Cross Nordic in Norway school. Through slow expansion with the help of partners and donors, UWC has been able to grow its influence without sacrificing the quality intercultural, academic and service learning which defines its schools (History of UWC).
United World College: The Ideological Competitive Edge
Admissions and Enrollment
UWC’s model for admissions and enrollment sheds light into how UWC differentiates itself from its peer institutions. As Tsumagari articulates, “Unlike market-driven international schools, whose establishment and survival depend on the local demand for international education, UWC can draw interested students from all over the world” (292). The modern international school has primarily two pipe-lines for student enrollment, each with a specific demand; they are: 1.The kin of upper-class elite which are living in their culture and requesting paths to prestigious western higher education, and 2. the children of expatriates who require a preparatory education for reintegration back into their first-culture. UWC’s model is quite the opposite. United World College’s national committees in over 185 countries fundraise their own scholarships to send natives abroad for a preeminent UWC education (Halls 146). This model of international education, which “positions [UWC] as the inverse of the other internationals schools, as UWC [provides] opportunities for young people who grow up in their native countries to become globally mobile,” (Tsumagari 291) offers international thinking that can be harnessed for community development. Because so many UWC student receive scholarships from within their local communities and come from humble backgrounds, the decision to return to home upon graduating comes from altruism, since “they received the privilege of a UWC education, thus there [is] an obligation to use their education to benefit society” (Tsumagari 291).
Unbiased and International-Minded Curriculum
In addition to ideology serving as the admissions and enrollment backbone, UWC’s curriculum and service-orientated education provides a stark comparison to more traditional International Schools. While every UWC school has a different educational structure – including the now-defunct (due to actions taken by the Venezuelan Government) Simón Bolívar UWC of Agriculture, which offered a curriculum focused around agricultural development – all UWC schools teach the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. Granted, there are over 2,628 IB Diploma institutions worldwide, but fewer than 800 of these schools are located in countries where one of Spanish, French or English is not the national language (The IB curriculum is instructed in these three languages). Such evidence shows a growing trend where the IB curriculum is growing beyond the preferred curriculum of diplomats and global citizens and towards ubiquity in major cities across the global north and English, Spanish and French speaking countries. Nevertheless, exactly half of the United World College’s 14 Schools are located outside of English, Spanish and French-speaking countries (http://www.ibo.org/school/search/)[1]. In this case, UWC’s use of the IB curriculum is neither motivated by national inclinations, nor language of instruction; UWC uses the IB curriculum due to IB’s high standards and emphasis on the “Theory of Knowledge.” As described by Martinez and Martinez, “The Theory of Knowledge enables students to critically examine their academic experiences and reflect on the knowledge they are acquiring… [to] discern the relative truths of various opinions, assertions and positions that cause conflicts between individuals and nations of the world” (49). This approach to knowledge can best encapsulated by UWC Moster, Bosnia and Herzegovina graduate Kim Han Sol – Grandson of the late leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Il – and his interview in fluent English where he demonstrated remorse and frustrations with the his home county’s totalitarian actions and policies while calling for peace and cooperation across cultures (Cain 1). Combined with its global approach to admissions and enrollment, UWC further distinguishes itself from other International Schools.
Experimental Learning
The quote commencing this paper was central to Kurt Hahn’s understanding of education: an education based purely on theory lacks the essential actions which brings concepts to life. This idea of experienced-based learning was at the core of Hahn’s ethos and emanated through all of his actions. Thus, UWC schools are structured around various co-curricular programs. In the case of the United World College America West, students have the option to concentrate study in: 1. Wilderness; 2. Community Engagement; or 3. the Bartos Institute for Constructive Engagement of Conflict (Beyond the Classroom USA). These service-based learning opportunities empower students to have first-hand interactions with their new home. Through involvement, students can develop strong impassioned opinions backed by personal experience which will help students further understand the trials and tribulation facing their first-culture.
United World College Going Forward
While the UWC has shown substantial growth in recent years, including the opening of two new schools in 2014 and a fifteenth school in 2015, this ideology-driven model of education will always rely heavily on the philanthropy of others. UCW’s student quota system which ensures a truly international student body is heavily reliant on the national committees and scholarship funding. Without these two crucial instruments, UWC’s student body would very much resemble that of any other international school. On the other hand, there are other international schools that are driven by the same tenants as UWC, but without generous partnerships and funding, these schools will be challenged to replicate the same model upheld by UWC. Thus, it is likely that despite far-reaching acclaim and steady growth, UWC will remain a small school-system educating a small group of truly special students. Where UWC’s reach ends, it will be difficult for other international schools to fill the void without strong financial backing from a large group of committed stakeholders. Furthermore, UWC’s education system could become vulnerable due to downturns in the economy. Through depressions and recessions, philanthropy is a likely first causality and for much of UWC’s development years, financial woes challenged the school (Halls 146). Therefore, it is likely that United World College remains the exception in international schooling. UWC should aim to continue to develop partnerships and schools in nations looking to foster deeper international awareness.
Conclusion
As global communities further integrate and the barriers separating individuals continue to deteriorate, international schools will provide an essential service: providing an education which academically and social prepares the student for an international experience. As has been well documented, many international schools are driven by market-demands and offer an environment particular to the school’s culture aim. The United World College provides a template for the ideology-driven school, which benefits not only the internationally-minded student, but also organizations, companies and nations searching for internationally-competent individuals. Where international competency provides competitive advantage, United World College and ideology-driven international schools alike will offer students and administrators the necessary skills to tackle emerging challenges in a globalizing world.
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[1] For this exercise, I have included India, Hong Kong, and Singapore as English speaking nations, since English is included as a national language. If these counties where consider non-English countries, over 70% of UWC schools would be located in states where English, Spanish and French are not native languages.