The Value of International Boarding School Education in Switzerland
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SWISSBOARDING SCHOOLS A GULF NEWS SPONSORED SUPPLEMENT THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2018 The value of international boarding school education in Switzerland The nation’s excellent education system guarantees superb employability prospects, says Beat Sommer, Head of School, Hochalpines Institut Ftan n international board- pects for the future. and academically when they lead ing school education in Swiss educationalists were the active outdoor lives, when they feel reasons to choose an Switzerland is a life- first to point out that young peo- a sense of connectedness with the international boarding A transforming experi- ple learn best when they feel val- natural world. Swiss schools also school in Switzerland ence. The friendships formed on a ued and are treated with respect encourage sport to develop team campus representing more than 30 and kindness. Their power- spirit, resilience and ambition 1 It is a beautiful, stable and se- nations will help shape the rest of a ful ideas on holistic educa- — all of them qualities which cure country with one of the highest young person’s life. School be- tion — “head, heart and equip young people for the quality-of-life ratings in the world. comes their community, their hand” — have retained challenges of university and home away from home. The choice their influence until today. leadership in the working 2 The excellent education system of school therefore must be a fami- Many Swiss international world. Learning is further and the economic life of the country ly decision and it is a choice inex- schools chose locations in a enriched by programmes to are closely linked. This raises the tricably bound up with the ques- landscape of mountains, forests, develop creativity and to promote employability prospects for school tion of location and the value it lakes and green alpine pastures a sense of responsibility in students leavers and university graduates. attaches to children’s learning, based on the conviction that chil- for their wider communities as lo- their well-being and their pros- dren thrive physically, emotionally cal, national and global citizens. Continued on page 2 HIF/Mayk Wendt PAGE 4 PAGE 6 PAGE 11 Switzerland is an excellent Institut Montana promotes Ecole Chantemerle offers an destination for parents to Swiss values and an excellent educational approach that is educate their children educational ethic positive and personalised 2 SWISS BOARDING SCHOOLS October 25, 2018 Continued from page 1 7 All schools in the country are COLLÈGE DU LÉMAN less than two hours’ drive from an The value of international international airport. There is much boarding school education to do in Switzerland, from winter Do traditional teaching in Switzerland sports in the Alps to visiting the cit- ies of Basel, Geneva, Lausanne and 3 Switzerland is home to some of Zurich with their cultural and com- methods prepare children the world’s top universities and re- mercial centres. Paris, Venice, Mi- search institutes with more Nobel lan and Munich are also just a few Prizes per head of population than hours’ journey away. for tomorrow’s jobs? any other. Switzerland owes its sustained 4 Swiss boarding schools are gen- economic success to its well-edu- uinely international with students cated and hard-working popula- from all over the world studying for tion, most of who are the graduates the IB Diploma, British A Levels or of a rigorous but fair education the Swiss Baccalaureate-Matura. system. A neutral country, Swit- Schools celebrate the cultural diver- zerland has for centuries been at sity of their cosmopolitan commu- the crossroads of international ex- nities. change. It is the European centre of international diplomacy, the head- 5 Switzerland lies at the cultural quarters of international humani- heart of Europe with four different tarian and sports organisations language communities: German, and of global companies in the French, Italian and Romansh. All fields of finance, insurance, inter- international students learn at least net services, pharmaceuticals and one more language. precision engineering. For most visitors, however, Switzerland re- 6 Well-being along with physical mains the land of the Alps, a haven fitness and healthy nutrition are of peace, order and efficiency and, held in high regard. Medical servic- thus, the ideal place to live, learn es are of the highest standard. and grow. THE HIF SPORTS ACADEMY Arena of champions Founded in 1793, the Hochalpines Institut Ftan (HIF) Swiss International Boarding School and Sports Academy has been guided throughout its 225-year history by the values of world-renowned Swiss educationalists. hile education is our HIF is an independent, international boarding school with strong local greatest lever for social roots, which caters to the specific needs of students of all cultures. Set change, the current sys- amid the mountains, HIF is naturally given to promoting sports and extra- W tem is increasingly falling curricular activities in a big way. The HIF Sports Academy allows students short. Unacceptable gaps in aca- with a passion for sport to discover and develop their sporting strengths. demic attainment, poor social mo- One of Switzerland’s leading sports schools and an acclaimed Swiss-Ski bility, rising mental health issues Regional High Performance Centre for Alpine Skiing, the HIF has hosted and a failure to provide young peo- Olympic and World champions as they completed their secondary educa- ple with the skills they need for life tion while training for their next challenge on the international circuit. Six in the 21st century are just some of HIF alumni were members of the Swiss Olympic team at the Pyeong- the consequences of an education Chang Games, South Korea in 2018, two of them winning gold medals in system rooted in the needs of a by- cross-country skiing and snowboarding. Accompanying the Swiss team gone era. were three HIF coaches and a former HIF student as physiotherapist. Pioneers are beginning to present The Sports Academy is open to any student with a passion for sport exciting glimpses into a reimagined and strong academic ambitions. They can combine competitive or leisure view of education - one with “whole- Thomas Schädler, Director General, sports with an international academic programme, with a team of teach- person learning” at its centre. These Collège du Léman ers, carers and coaches to coordinate their individual training sessions, pockets of innovation, however, are competition schedules and study plans. For more information visit https:// not enough unless we can move cation system has been modernised www.sportklasse.ch/en/ away from the prevailing system, to some extent, changes have been which is organised around a nar- modest and largely incremental: row set of exams. As we think about • Content has been expanded to the urgent and increasingly complex include modern subjects (e.g., com- global issues that must be solved, puter science), and additional com- time is of the essence. We must focus petencies and skills (e.g., social not only on innovating but also on and emotional learning); the focus, driving system wide change – both though, is still primarily on foun- now and in the future. dational literacies (i.e., reading and A century ago, the education sys- maths). tem aimed to give large numbers of • New pedagogies have emerged, For more information on HIF, contact: children basic literacy and numera- e.g., the use of project-based learn- Hochalpines Institut Ftan AG cy skills to use in the manufacturing ing, but their uptake has been limit- SWISS INTERNATIONAL BOARDING SCHOOL AND SPORTS ACADEMY workforce. In developed countries, ed. Lecture-based teaching remains Chalchera 154, CH-7551 Ftan / Switzerland the standardised model of educa- the main form of instruction for Phone: +41 81 861 22 11 | Email: [email protected] | Web: www.hif.ch tion was developed to meet those HIF/Mayk Wendt HIF/Mayk needs. Since then, although the edu- Continued on page 4 4 SWISS BOARDING SCHOOLS October 25, 2018 October 25, 2018 SWISS BOARDING SCHOOLS 5 ADVERTISER’S CONTENT LE RÉGENT CRANS-MONTANA COLLEGE WEBSITES Switzerland: Like nowhere else AT A GLANCE Welcome to the A country of refuge, Switzerland appears to many parents as the ideal place to HIGH SCHOOLS Institut Le Rosey: educate their children in a framework of peace and security. By Christophe X. Clivaz www.rosey.ch Le Régent Crans-Montana Brillantmont International witzerland is a School: very special coun- www.brillantmont.ch College family try; there are nei- Institut auf dem Rosenberg: S ther natural re- www.instrosenberg.ch sources, nor is there any Collège Champittet: national language; Switzer- www.champittet.ch land only exists because very Lyceum Alpinum, Zuoz: different people, in their www.lyceum-alpinum.ch various languages, cultures Collège Beau Soleil: and mentalities, wished to www.beausoleil.ch unite their destinies. Institut Montana Zugerberg: This small nation become www.montana-zug.ch wealthy at the start of the Aiglon College: twentieth century by devel- www.aiglon.ch oping unique abilities in the industry of precision mechan- TASIS (The American School ics, agriculture, banking, in- in Switzerland): surance and education. www.tasis.ch International education Collège du Léman: differs from traditional which have an international utation far surpassing the mountainous landscapes www.cdl.ch educational systems in one reputation, like the Swiss natural influence of a small and exceptional towns. How Leysin American School: simple principle: the com- Learning schools could not country of only seven million proud we are that Swiss www.leysin.ch munity is made up of vari- exist anywhere else but in inhabitants. Learning represents a dozen HOTEL SCHOOLS ous cultures, religions and Switzerland. Switzerland’s riches rest of the best campuses here Glion Institute of Higher races living together, en- Proud of its deliberate pol- on its abilities alone, the worthy mirrors of this beauty! Education: riching each of its members.