What exactly is an international education?

Nowadays, many Indonesian parents want an international standard of education. What does this mean? This may reflect a paradigm change taking place, albeit a slow one, in terms of the thinking within schools as to what it is that students need today to prepare them for tomorrow.

"International education" can be defined as a movement of people who undertake schooling outside their home country, or can better define as an educational philosophy in which schools proactively prepare children to become effective global citizens actively engaged in an increasingly unified economic and social milieu.

Parents are increasingly aware that global interdependence is an economic and social reality and that their children need to be schooled in an environment that will prepare them to work effectively in cross-cultural settings.

In the context of local schooling with an international mindset, children can be encouraged to have a deeper layer of understanding, one where they are challenged to look beyond their comfort zones to new people, new customs and new ideas.

Important as it is to understand oneself through knowledge of one's own cultural identity and language, it is also a great gift to children to encourage the development of an international mindset whereby they gain an appreciation of other people's differences.

If this mission were to be fulfilled in schools, we would make great advances in the improvement of relations between countries, cultures and peoples. Surely all of us hope to bequeath a legacy for our children of a more peaceful and tolerant world.

Knowledge of one's own heritage is necessary before being able to understand and appreciate the culture, traditions and values of others. Language is an effective vehicle for encouraging this development, for it is through learning language that a student gains insights into culture and custom.

Some private schools in Indonesia focus on children learning in English, but research from around the world clearly shows that schools should make it their first priority to support a child's mother tongue.

It is through the development of the first language that a child builds a strong scaffold for development in second and subsequent languages. In addition, strong mother tongue development helps the child to develop the social and cultural background that is so important to their personal understanding of place and time.

An international education should be flexible and adaptable to the learning needs of children, in particular to the development of the child's mother tongue to ensure empowerment in learning other languages, and in so doing to appreciate other cultures and perspectives.

Any Indonesian parent who believes that an international education simply means "learning in English" could possibly be leading their children down a dangerous path if there is not sufficient support for development of the child's mother tongue, custom and traditions.

A good quality international educational setting will support a child's mother tongue development while encouraging them to develop in one or more other languages.

This provides the conduit for children to gain the skills necessary to excel in an increasingly interconnected world.

But what of the standards within a school? Regardless of whether or not a school embraces an international perspective, any educational setting should encourage children to become lifelong-learners who are effective communicators and creative problem solvers.

A variety of pedagogical approaches are key for any teacher to impart these attributes to students. By sharing experiences and collaborating on methods of best practice, school leaders can select the elements that best suit their particular educational setting. In so doing, school leaders can establish an environment that fosters quality learning. To ensure that schools continually meet certain standards, there are a large number of accreditation and authorization organizations that can assist through self-improvement processes.

This type of accreditation is key for any school that aims for excellence as it is only through an effectively implemented cycle of review that a school can validate the integrity of its programs and assure the school community that these programs are effectively supporting student learning.

When parents are inquiring as to whether or not a school has "international standards", they should be asking the school's leaders questions that go deeper than "Will my child learn English?" Parents should be asking schools what systems of self-improvement they have in place and what action plans they have developed which clearly set out measurable targets and strategies for improvement.

Parents should expect that a school has registered with a credible accreditation commission or organization and in doing so has established standards and benchmarks of good practice.

Parents should also expect that a school has incorporated into its mission a clear statement of how it encourages children to be internationally minded and can show examples of real-life experiences that broaden a child's understanding of the world around them so they are equipped to be engaged participants in the international community.

The writer is executive principal of Global Jaya International School.