There comes a time in every pupil’s school life when he/she asks “What next? Where do I go after school finishes?” Many children will focus their attention on university; a life possibly away from home comforts, a time of growing up, an opportunity to see the world. As school teachers, we are acutely aware of the need to not only develop a child’s academic ability but also to prepare them for university life. An outstanding school will offer its pupils an enriching curriculum: one that allows freedom of thought and academic rigour, in equal measure. It will prepare young men and women as lifelong learners adept at seizing every opportunity university life offers.
Up to 60 per cent of the factual information a 16-year-old child has learned at school will be incorrect or irrelevant by the time he/she leaves university. The focus of a 21st century education in schools must be on transferable skills. In science education, for example, we have seen a dramatic shift in the past 15 years, away from the knowledge-based exams of the last century towards a skill-based course and form of assessment. Pupils are taught how to appraise sources, question data capture techniques and evaluate conclusions drawn in a critical and surprisingly mature way.
It is the role of a school to ensure that a child is ready for university life and it should not be something that any university is forced to incorporate into their first year undergraduate programmes. In the world’s top universities we are increasingly seeing admissions teams setting skill-based aptitude tests for candidates: this is in response to a lack of skill development in a number of foreign education systems.
The best schools will always see their pupils successfully graduate from the best universities since they equip them with the skills necessary to become lifelong learners, able to adapt to new learning environments as they arise.
— The writer is Head Master, Brighton College, Al Ain, which opens doors this September to its first batch of students
