This year’s IPSEF Middle East brings together schools and investors to engage with world class operators and suppliers, and discuss the current issues and trends in the private education sector.
In an exclusive interview with Edarabia.com, Anita Gleave, CEO and Founder of Chatsworth Schools, shares her vision to enhance the education landscape around the world.
1. Can you tell us more about your session at IPSEF, “I can’t give everything away….”?
A slightly tongue in cheek title… I really CAN’T give everything away as none of us has all the answers, but, even if I did, would I, given the highly competitive market we find ourselves in?!
What I can tell you, is that Chatsworth Schools are actively involved in working with UK Independent schools whose boards have decided to venture overseas and especially to the Gulf. For these schools, this means that either the Bursar or the Head is expected to be an expert overnight and knowing where to start, what advice is needed, who to go to and who to trust can be incredibly difficult – hence Chatsworth Schools’ involvement. Having worked extensively in the region for over ten years I have learned many lessons, made great contacts and worked with some outstanding people. I have also met fewer savoury individuals and companies whose agenda does not chime with my own or who see internationalisation not as an opportunity to change the world but as a smash and grab to prop up ailing financial reserves at home!
As educators I believe we have a moral responsibility and challenge to enhance the futures of all children, to enable global and cultural exchange and understanding and leave the world a better place than we found it – not just focus on revenue! I look forward to sharing some of this experience at the IPSEF.
2. What is your take on teacher recruitment being the greatest challenge facing international schools in the UAE? How are Chatsworth Schools overcoming this challenge?
I believe that both teacher recruitment and teacher retention are very real challenges facing the sector. With companies recalling staff or offering reduced salary packages, teachers often have little choice but to return home. Recruiting quality staff can be difficult.
At Chatsworth, thus far, we are fortunate to have been able to recruit outstanding teachers for all schools. As a school group, we are able to offer excellent and varied CPD, to invest in the future of our staff as well as their current situations, to be able to offer career advancement within our family of schools and to ensure plenty of opportunities to have fun and learn new skills. For instance, we are currently building a senior school in a remote part of Ghana and teachers from each of our UK schools have the sponsored opportunity to visit, to help, to teach and to learn.
The wellbeing of our staff is so important to us and we engage with tutors of mindfulness and wellbeing to this end. It’s not just about “the package” on offer, though we shouldn’t underestimate this, it’s a much bigger picture that we have to paint correctly if we are to succeed in a sustainable way.
3. How can world leaders adapt to a progressive education system?
If only we could get our education systems right all children would benefit and the world would be considerably enhanced. However, as we approach 2020, I am reminded of the education promises and commitments made at the turn of the century by many politicians, leaders and educationalists. Have those commitments been followed through, has a route map been created?
The existing education system is focused on measurable outcomes, success is still identified as the ability to regurgitate facts (Google is now over twenty years old) and we are still educating for a labour market which doesn’t exist! Yet despite this and the universally acknowledged decline in mental health, we are still not focusing on humanity, resilience and kindness. This needs to change.
The undoubted growth of AI, reduction in traditional roles and jobs, increased migration and the state of the world economy and climate at least ensures education remains part of the debate. It is our responsibility as leaders of learning and as ambassadors of our children’s futures that we push education to the top of the agenda and insist on a debate. We must offer tangible examples of excellent practice and show that we are committed to educating the next generation of world leaders with all the necessary skills to contribute in a meaningful way to society, to be happy in themselves, to be kind and generous and above all, be true global citizens. By setting the tone of the debate in this way I believe we can, and must, ensure world leaders adapt to a progressive education system.
Anita Gleave is the Founder and CEO of Chatsworth Schools. Anita has spent her entire career working in the independent education sector. She started as a teacher at schools in Hertford and London before becoming the founding Head of a school in Worcester, Head of a school in Bath and Principal of a school in Yorkshire. Further to this, she worked at Director level for three international school groups (Alpha Plus Group, World Class Learning, and the International Schools Partnership) overseeing operations and educational excellence.
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