The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has given education's forward thinkers a roadmap in its Future of Education and Skills 2030 with a vision of the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that students will need to shape their futures. Skills are the key to achieving goals. For the OECD such skills fall into three domains: Cognitive and metacognitive; social and emotional; and physical and practical.
The unstoppable march of artificial intelligence is already changing skills demanded in the labour market, placing a greater emphasis on those skills that machine learning cannot master: Creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking. Teamwork implies more socio-emotional skills, empathy and human warmth involves respect for others and hard work. And in building cognitive capacity, it seems that music and arts education do this best, and helps with empathic intelligence and collaboration.
Bangladesh vision for 2031
Eradicating poverty is the formidable goal to becoming a Upper Middle Income Country in ten years and a High Income Country in twenty. The scale of the task is for the 8.48% of the population, currently classed as severely poor, being cut to zero by 2031. By moving from vague vision to growth strategy, Bangladesh has set a GDP target of just under 10% per annum and has good cause to be optimistic: Cumulative growth rates have been strong (8.2% in 2018) and purchasing power parity significantly improved (from $1,410 in 2001 to $3,319, 15 years later). Supply-side improvements to infrastructure are key. These are energy investment in a model power grid, growth in the marine economy to facilitate trade, investment in a skilled and flexible labour supply, and the “de-Dhakarization” of the economy.
Keeping the focus on education
Investment in skilled and flexible labour involves a long-term strategy for education and training. There is scope for a significant increase in budgeted expenditure to match that of near-neighbours, in three ways.
First, we need to get and keep great teachers, notably in early years. Keeping involves training in child development and practice in teaching methods for different ages. Incentives need to drive recruitment into this key education sector. Salary structures and staffing ratios need to be disproportionately advantageous.
Second, we need high quality education leaders. People who have the capacity to plan, to implement, and to manage. People with foresight and a keen eye on professional improvement. We need to give our leaders core financial training in business management and budgetary control.
Third, we need a curriculum that evolves with time and is research-backed. Drawn from the latest child development studies and built around student-centred activities. Amongst the many qualities of a strong curriculum, it must be built on child development research, evidence-based in terms of its practice, and impact proven on pupil progress and attainment.
Haileybury Vision 2130
Just as The Harvard Business School is there to educate leaders to make a difference in the world, Haileybury Bhaluka is there to educate the country's leaders of tomorrow. We are building for a better future. We are part of an emerging international consensus that understands what education for tomorrow looks like. Classified by the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development as a school that has a focus on the future; a belief that every student can be a high performer; a focus on skills, such as creativity, critical thinking and collaboration and a sustained investment in professional learning to get and keep great teachers.
Keeping teaching at the cutting-edge means having a professional team equipped with research-backed strategies that enable students to self-regulate and achieve high performance. Haileybury Bhaluka is a high performing school with seeds planted to grow students into advanced performers, enterprising learners, and global leaders. Committed to diversity, equity and inclusivity, we have built a significant scholarship fund for the brightest students in Bangladesh, creating a culture of academic excellence from the outset. In doing so, we are giving access to a first-class education to children from all backgrounds through the largest investment in school students in the country's history. Students can access full funding for the entirety of their education at Haileybury Bhaluka.
The prospect of full scholarships enables a substantial number of students of all backgrounds to benefit from a Haileybury education. Working in partnership with Haileybury's outstanding schools around the world, we have a shared and core commitment to a broad and holistic education for our students, set within a mission to embrace equity, diversity and inclusivity.
Simon O'Grady is the Founding Headmaster of Haileybury Bhaluka. An alumnus of the London School of Economics, he has led outstanding schools on four continents.
