Local vs. International Schools

[Randy W]

Before our grandson Chenxi was of school age, he went to an "International School". It seemed like a daycare which was also a regular structured school, and included English instruction - for about $150USD per semester (MUCH cheaper than what the article talks about). He has a bit of a goofball gene, and I credit them for turning him into a fairly serious student. He now goes to a local, public school.

 

The China expat parents choosing public over international schools, and how their kids cope

• High international school fees and a hope that their kids will become fluent in Mandarin are driving some expat parents in China to opt for public schools
• But language and cultural barriers can be problems, as well as coping with the inevitable state propaganda their kids face

 

Thirteen-year-old Trey Crawford stands out at the high school affiliated to the University of Science and Technology Beijing. Trey, who is American, and a Dutch pupil are the only foreigners among the 39 students in their class at the public school in the Chinese capital.

“As a foreigner, I have more privileges than local Chinese classmates to do what I want,” Trey says. “The English classes are too easy for me. The English teacher lets me read [Chinese novels] during the classes. All my friends are local Chinese. I’ve studied in local schools throughout my school years so I am totally fluent in Chinese.”

Gloria Crawford, who runs an educational technology company in Beijing with her husband Terry, says she chose to send Trey to the local school because it would be the best way for him to master the Chinese language, and also instil in him resilience and discipline.

“At the primary level, Chinese schools provide a strong foundation in language training, which requires rote memorisation and repetitive copying to learn the strokes and everything,” she says. “How they teach languages also informs the way they teach everything else, like maths and science. My children’s maths skills are stronger than their friends’ when we go back to America. Because of the strict nature of the Chinese school system, they also have more resilience to be able to handle difficulties later in life.”

 

. . .

 

A 2018 survey conducted by the Singapore-based ExpatFinder.com on 688 international schools from 27 countries found the highest fees were in China, at an average of US$33,591 a year. Switzerland ranked second at US$32,453, followed by Belgium at US$29,613. “Most of our foreign friends in Beijing either enrol their children in local schools or homeschool them,” Crawford says.