&Schools

EDUCATION

Educational

Supplement for Fall

2014

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” - Nelson Mandela

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WE HELP YOU

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succeedally!

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THE PRAGUE POST SCHOOLS & EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT, AUTUMN 2014 www.praguepost.com 3

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TEXT RAYMOND JOHNSTON

Journalism is one of those subjects that require a hands-on approach. A new program is trying to give just that kind of experience to developing journalists from a variety of countries.

The program is called Bridge, and it brings together 24 students and recent graduates from 14 countries in Europe, the Middle East, north Africa and the United States. The journalists were chosen from more than 600 applicants.

After a week of workshops and courses in Prague, the students will go to Istanbul to get another perspective on journalism. The program was organized by the Prague Freedom Foundation in cooperation with the civic association Zaostřeno, Columbia Global Centers and the Faculty of Social Science at Charles University.

The idea for the program came up more than two years ago. “We are working to increase the quality of reporting,” Václav Pecha, executive director of Zaostřeno, told the Prague Post. His group came up with the name “bridge,” as it was simple and to the point and emphasized that the program sought to bring not only people but also different journalistic resources together.

“In Prague we want to expose students to people who have been working in journalism,” he said. “The goal is to transfer skills so they leave with a bigger toolbox.” The program participants will benefit from talking to practitioners in the field face-to-face as they get firsthand experience with investigative reporting.

This approach is better than showing the students endless PowerPoint presentations and giving them other theoretical background, Pecha said.

Many scholastic journalism programs lack any actual practical aspects and instead focus on “parrot repetition.”

Pecha said he hopes to break the cycle of these archaic ways of teaching. “I want to make journalism a dynamic thing,” he said.

The participants vary in background, according to Will Tizard, the academic coordinator of the program. “For some of them it is a real change to get exposed to investigative journalism,” he said, adding that some lecturers for the program came from ProPublica, an organization that focuses on investigative journalism in the public interest.

When the program moves from Prague to Istanbul, the focus will shift slightly to issues concerning freedom of the press and democracy.

Each of the 24 students will be working on a project, as well. Topics range from using social media to get around state censorship to why an environmental crisis related to gold mining in Romania was so underreported compared with other similar incidents.

BRIDGE PROGRAM SEEKS TO DEVELOP

NEDIM HADROVIĆ AND SARA SUDETIĆ

newJOURNALISM TALENT

Twenty-four students were chosen from more than 600 for international program

THE PRAGUE POST SCHOOLS & EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT, AUTUMN 2014 www.praguepost.com 5

The top three journalism projects will win money that can be put toward further education.

A student from Kosovo said she was excited to get the chance to be in the program. “It is often difficult to study abroad because of visas,” Tringë Sokoli said. “I am happy and lucky to get a chance to see more of the world.”

She is in her second year studying at the University of Pristina. She found out about the program through social media, when a friend forwarded a message about it. Being accepted in the program will give her a chance to broaden her horizons and get a better picture of how journalism is done internationally, she said.

Another participant in the program is Nedim Hadrović, who is Bosnian but has lived in Egypt, Iran, Malaysia and Singapore. “I wanted to be part of the Bridge program because I am naturally interested in different cultures,” he said.

He has already had several news stories published in outlets like Deutsche Welle and Open Democracy. Even though the program is focused on journalism, he says he is actually more interested in filmmaking and documentaries.

The region of South Eastern Europe is well represented in the program. Sara Sudetić identifies herself as Yugoslav but has roots tying her to the United States and Ireland, as well as Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia.

Her interest in journalism comes from her father, Chuck Sudetic, who worked for The New York Times, among other publications.

Sara found out about the program through a youth website and was instantly interested. She has dabbled in journalism since she was 16 years old, when she published an article in the French newspaper Le Monde.

Her academic background is in war studies, which she pursued at King’s College, London. She is also in interested in international relations.

The program appealed to her because she has become unhappy with the recent trends in journalism. She favors a mix of journalism and academia that will make complicated information more accessible to the general public, as opposed to the general dumbing down of information that

has become quite common.

Other program participants from Jordan, the United States and Romania told similar stories of how they found out about the program and what they hoped to learn.

While the program is a summer school of sorts, it is far from a vacation. The schedule is quite rigorous, going from lectures to structured time to work on projects. How to craft a breaking news story and topics relating to new journalism in the digital age are prominent for the beginning of the program.

Local experts giving lectures or appearing on panels in Prague include Rob Cameron, who is the Czech and Slovak correspondent for the BBC, and Daniel Anýž, a journalist and opinion writer for daily Hospodářské noviny.

Other experts who will be meeting with the participants in Prague include Tomáš Vrba, one of the signers of Charter 77 and a founder of the Czech branch of the Association of European Journalists, and Pavel Fischer, the former political director of the Czech Foreign Affairs Ministry.

In Istanbul, a different set of lecturers will address topics related to journalism and social change, as well as censorship.

In a public event, famed economist Joseph Stiglitz will give a lecture. He won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 2001 and is a professor at Columbia University.

Other lecturers come from CNN Türk, popular newspaper Hürriyet, Columbia University, Le Monde and foreign correspondents who write for multiple international outlets.

VÁCLAV PECHAEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ZAOSTŘENO

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TEXT ANDRÉ CROUS

Although they wouldn’t like to admit it, many students who have moved to a different state to start their studies often struggle to cope with life outside the cozy surroundings that

defined their school years. However, once the ice is broken with a new roommate or exciting, team-oriented activities, those initial feelings of alienation quickly fade away, and by the time these young adults go back home for the holidays, many of their school friends have already been replaced by college acquaintances.

But things may be somewhat more challenging for those who choose to study abroad, particularly if the new college is on another continent — in a country

whose language and culture differ greatly from what the student may be used to back home. Fortunately, for those people from around the world who come to Prague’s renowned Charles University, there is a club that strives to make the process of meeting new people, sharing the ups and downs of integration with other foreigners while getting to know the locals, and appreciating their perspective on Prague and the Czechs, as easy as possible.

Going by the name Charles University International Club, or IC CUNI for short (CUNI is a widely used moniker on campus that references the university), it caters to a variety of students by organizing a host of events in the social, cultural and sports spheres. It also has a “buddy program” that pairs international with local students in order to get them to appreciate each other’s culture and language. For

ALL PHOTOS © CHARLES UNIVERSITY

Prague’s most renowned university now has an organization to help foreigners integrate

more quickly.

FROM HOMEawayHOME

THE PRAGUE POST SCHOOLS & EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT, AUTUMN 2014 www.praguepost.com 7

foreigners either hoping to learn enough Czech to order a second beer or understand what all the fuss is about with the Czechs and their mushroom hunting, this is the perfect opportunity to learn something about an entirely new context in a pleasant atmosphere that may lead to solid friendships down the line.

The club has been around in its current unified form since 2011, although to some extent it is still subdivided among the different faculties of the city’s oldest and most prestigious university, in order to better cater to the various needs, interests and schedules of its members.

Of course, some students may want a little more insight into the notoriously difficult language than just the cursory (but appropriate) swear word or the alcoholic’s

vocabulary. The club’s tandem teaching program hooks up individuals looking to learn and ultimately practice each other’s languages — usually Czech and English, but the only real limit to the combinations is the enthusiasm and curiosity of the students.

Every semester, the IC CUNI organizes trips, often for those who are not scared to get their adrenalin pumping, to some of the country’s historical or most beautiful sights, thereby increasing their awareness of the Czech landscape and the past of the Bohemians, Moravians and Silesians. “We are happy when the international students leave our country full of experiences from events ranging from visits of the countryside and historical monuments to sports activities such as skiing, canoeing and cycling,” the club states on its website.

But socializing and integrating, especially for the younger generation, also means partying it up, and also in that respect, the club is fully engaged, organizing a number of parties every year to encourage students to mingle while they get to discover some of the clubs “they otherwise might not learn about.”

Something else foreign students may be not have learned about before is Czech(oslovak) cinema, but luckily a film club seeks to remedy that by screening classic films in Czech from time to time, as was the case in the spring with Jan Svěrák’s Academy Award–nominated The Elementary School (Obečná škola) from 1991.

Recently, the club has also started making its own “Survival Guide” videos in collaboration with the university’s television channel, UKáčko.tv, to help introduce the city and soothe the transition to Bohemia. Then again, being able to say a few Czech words (like “jdeme na jedno?”) will certainly come in handy, too.

Web: Ic-cuni.cz

André Crous can be reached at acrous@praguepost.com

ALL PHOTOS © CHARLES UNIVERSITY

Prague’s most renowned university now has an organization to help foreigners integrate

more quickly.

FROM HOME

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Stefan Engeseth is one of the most creative speakers in Europe and he is also the author of several successful books about marketing and entrepreneurship like Sharkonomics, Detective Marketing and

One. Since 2014, Stefan Engeseth is also a lecturer on the prestigious MBA program at the University of New York in Prague, where he inspires and leads students to maximum creativity in business and entrepreneurship.

In his book Sharkonomics, he creates creative parallels to the world of nature and sharks and provides a fresh look at business. Sharks are not only nature’s most revered killers, they are highly strategic and efficient predators. Studying their behavior and instincts can provide lessons for companies of any size who want to attack the competition. Stefan Engeseth argues that taking market share from market leaders is about being aware, creating presence and punching above your weight. By applying the behavioral traits of the shark, Engeseth has created a number of highly practical business strategies – including striking unpredictably, developing a sensory system, hunting in packs, and locating blind spots. The more competitive your marketplace, the more effective Sharkonomics can be. After all sharks have been evolving for over 420 million years and are still very much the leaders in their space.

Why Sharkonomics? Because in nature, sharks have to move to survive. But in business, according to Stefan Engeseth, most market leaders remain static, because they are stuck in history – and eventually they become shark food. Sharks don’t perform by producing endless Power Points; they take chunks out of market share. Sharkonomics also includes tactics for companies to defend themselves against attack.

The fact that Stefan Engeseth lectures at University of New York in Prague is a great benefit for the students. These are managers from various industries, representing global as well as local companies. Students come from companies as diverse as: Coca-Cola, Nestlé, DHL, T-Mobile,

Microsoft, KPMG and Plzensky Prazdroj. Many of the students are entrepreneurs running their own successful businesses. All this creates an inspiring and innovative environment for development of new marketing strategies and business concepts.

You can find out more about Stefan Engeseth and his books at:

www.sharkonomics.com

www.detectivemarketing.com

with SHARKSSwimming

THE PRAGUE POST SCHOOLS & EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT, AUTUMN 2014 www.praguepost.com 9

TEXT NEWS DESK

Prague College announced the addition of three new senior members to its communications department: Head of communications Alex Went, digital marketing professional Matt Butler and

graphic design specialist Michal Kroča.

Went has a background in both education and business, having most recently held the position of

deputy director at the British Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic. Originally from the English Midlands, he has a degree in English literature from Cambridge University and is passionate about all aspects of

written and spoken communication. He

is also the curator of the architectural website, The Prague Vitruvius, and helps to run the expat literary group, Alchemy. He has joined Prague College to take up the position of head of communications and plans to lead the communications team to develop the university’s digital and print platforms to the fullest extent.

Butler is a digital marketing professional with an impressive background in social media, community

management and product development. Matt completed his B.A. (Hons.) degree in international management at Prague College, and went on to work with Prague College alumnus Vít Horký at Brand Embassy, as well as a number of other international Internet businesses.

Kroča is a graphic designer and photographer who recently graduated from Prague College with a B.A. (Hons.) in graphic design. He now brings his expertise to graphics, advertising, newsletters

and any Web and print-based materials connected with marketing the university. In his spare time, he works with his own company, the nonprofit organization Tricent, to promote running and healthy living.

TEAMThree new members will help get the word out about expanded school

ALEX WENTHead of Communications

MATT BUTLEROnline Communications

MICHAL KROČAGraphic Designer

communicationsPRAGUE COLLEGE EXPANDS ITS

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Prague College opens a new

TEXT RAYMOND JOHNSTON

Prague College will be a two-campus university as of September 2014. While the existing building in its beautiful parkside location in Prague 2, next to Riegrovy sady, will continue to expand to

meet the continuing surge in student numbers, the college is also opening a new cutting-edge art and design studio in Prague 1.

The new facility is at Biskupský dvůr (Bishop’s Court),

a quiet street in the Florenc area, set back from the main road. It’s already a location with a rich tradition in applied and fine arts.

The main building was originally a textile factory, and it became a prestigious contemporary art gallery in the 1990s. The space currently houses an applied arts gallery, a film production company, a fashion design studio, a violin workshop and an occasional concert venue.

Douglas Hajek, director of Prague College, is

ARTIST RENDERING OF THE NEW CAMPUS

campusThe English College is also adding new masters’ programmes

THE PRAGUE POST SCHOOLS & EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT, AUTUMN 2014 www.praguepost.com 11

excited about the move. “The first phase will see the opening of new teaching and studio spaces for third-year Prague College students pursuing bachelor’s programs in fine art and graphic design; but Bishop’s Court will also be the base for our new master’s programs to be introduced in September 2015,” he told the Prague Post.

“The college’s intention is to develop and promote the space for its applied art and fine arts heritage, as the college has plans to expand both within the main building and options to develop in the surrounding area,” he added.

The master’s program in art and design will be taught in Prague in collaboration with Teesside University. The decision to launch the new program was confirmed during a recent visit by Professor Gerda Roper, dean of the School of Arts and Media at Teesside University, Prague College’s main academic partner.

“We are an entrepreneurial university ourselves and appreciate the ‘can-do’ attitude and expansion plans of Prague College. During our partnership we have seen the steady maturing of our shared ideologies, including the all-important expansion of space for individual students. Our surveys continually tell us how important that is for students to feel well-cared for. This kind of planning is much appreciated,” Roper said in a press release.

Nick de Ville, emeritus professor of visual art at Goldsmiths, University of London, who accompanied

Professor Roper on her recent visit to Prague College, was also enthusiastic: “Prague is a capital city in transition, offering a lively opportunity for young people. This is a place ready to move forward as a center of contemporary art. We already get a strong sense of internationalism in the city; importantly, Prague College’s use of this space will continue introducing art to an international audience,” he said.

Prague College was founded in 2004 and is a private university with classes in English. It has attracted students from more than 90 countries to

programs that lead to internationally recognized British degrees and qualifications.

Prague College was selected by the Cambridge University Students’ Union as an “educational destination for success” and identified as an “increasingly attractive option for British graduates wanting practical university education for a career,” according to the Prague College website.

The college offers a highly experiential approach to university education with a focus on the employability of our graduates. Students and lecturers have been invited to participate in international conferences, exhibitions and presentations in Germany, Austria, Croatia, France, Singapore, Serbia, Slovakia, Latvia, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, the United Kingdom, the United States and Czech Republic, according to information provided by the school.

The college’s intention is to

develop and promote the space

for its applied art and �ne arts

heritage, as the college has plans

to expand both within the main

building and options to develop

in the surrounding area.

“”

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TEXT RAYMOND JOHNSTON

Since Sunny Canadian School was launched in 2002, it has been slowly expanding, adding one grade level per year as the original students get older. The school moved into a custom-built facility in 2010

and is now in the process of creating a second building. “We received final permission to build in May, and since then, things have moved very quickly. Foundations are dug, concrete is laid, and we see new progress daily,” Kate Powers, the vice principal for English Studies, told the Prague Post.

Both buildings are together on Straková Street in the village of Jesenice, just south of the Prague city limits. It is very close to the more renowned suburb of Průhonice.

Once completed, the new facility is planned to be used for the 2015–16 school year, but some parts may be used sooner.

“The new building will house our second stage and high school, grades 6-13. There will also be specialty rooms such as science labs, music rooms and a sports hall. Since the new building will actually be connected to the current elementary school, these spaces will be utilized by all ages of students,” Powers said. W

The motto of the school is “from kindergarten to graduation — all under one roof,” and that will still be true as the two buildings are linked by a covered walkway.

Preschool students can start as young as age 2. “While our oldest students are currently age 15 (Grade 10), those students will continue all the way to graduation (maturita) in our newly opened high school. The first graduating class will be in 2018,” Powers said.The school name “Sunny” is not by accident. “The school definitely emanates a ‘sunny’ atmosphere.

Construction is under way for a high school that will see its �rst graduates in 2018

SunnyARTIST RENDERING OF THE NEW BUILDING

Canadian International

School expands with a

building new

THE PRAGUE POST SCHOOLS & EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT, AUTUMN 2014 www.praguepost.com 13

The facility itself is bright and airy, and the attitude of the staff and students reflects that. Spirit days, costume days and after-school activities are commonplace. The feedback we always hear from students is that they love coming to school,” Powers said.

The other notable word in the school name is “Canadian,” but that doesn’t mean the school is English-language only. “In the kindergarten, while each class has a Czech teacher and a native English teacher, all instruction is in English. In the elementary and high schools, approximately half of the curriculum content is delivered in Czech and half in English,” Powers said.

“Bilingual education seems to be growing in popularity. Families are no longer satisfied with a single-language (or English-only, as at traditional international schools) instructional model. CLIL (Content/Language Integrated Learning) programs are hot right now, and it is nice to be at a school that has always made it our top priority to integrate English across subject areas,” Powers said.

For many schools that try to do something creative with the curriculum, accreditation is an issue. As of February 2014, Sunny Canadian School has accreditation not only from the Czech Ministry of Education but also with Cambridge International Examinations. The school can offer CIE’s rigorous Secondary 1, IGCSE, and Advanced Level curricula.

“The idea is that the students will leave with a fantastic portfolio of both Czech and English qualifications in order to launch them into whatever type of work or higher education — Czech- or English-speaking — they choose,” Powers said.

The school revised its mission and vision statements in May, and they reflect the goals of the school.The mission statement says, “Sunny Canadian International School integrates Czech and

international curricula to prepare multilingual students for a choice of higher education, while becoming responsible citizens who enrich society and contribute to an environmentally friendly, sustainable economy.”

The vision statement is: “Sunny Canadian International School inspires each student to become healthy, open-minded, and responsible, ethical citizens, who achieve academic and linguistic success while attaining personal fulfillment through engaged and knowledgeable inquiry.”

Bilingual education

seems to be growing in

popularity.“ ”

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PARIS – By assessing the capabilities and knowledge of students in the highest-performing and most rapidly improving education systems, the OECD’s Program for International Student Assessment provides valuable options for reform and information on how to achieve it. PISA brings together policymakers, educators, and researchers from around the world to discuss what knowledge students need to become successful and responsible citizens in today’s world, and how to develop more effective, inclusive education systems.

Some claim that the PISA results are based on too wide a range of factors to be relevant, while others point out the challenges inherent in testing students in various languages and with different cultural backgrounds. Of course, comparing education across countries is not easy, but PISA remains the most useful tool yet developed for policymakers attempting to improve their national education systems.

Before PISA, many governments claimed that they oversaw the world’s most successful education systems, and insisted that they had already taken the steps needed to address any shortcomings. By exposing weaknesses in a particular country’s system, PISA assessments help to ensure that policymakers recognize – and, it is hoped, address – remaining deficiencies.

The sense of accountability that PISA fosters among governments and education ministers has helped

to spur them into action. They increasingly turn to one another to learn how to apply innovations in curricula, pedagogy, and digital resources; how to offer personalized learning experiences that maximize every student’s chances of success; and how to cope with diversity in the classroom.

The OECD established PISA as a global assessment, because in today’s globalized world students must be able to collaborate with people from diverse backgrounds and appreciate different ideas, perspectives, and values. To give students the best possible chance to succeed, education must prepare them to handle issues that transcend national boundaries.

But PISA’s most important outcomes lie at the national level, because it inspires innovation and broadens educational perspectives within countries. Education systems as diverse as those in Finland, Japan, China, and Canada – which seldom registered on policymakers’ radars before – have become global reference points for excellence in education, helping other countries to design effective reforms.

When Brazil emerged as the lowest-performing education system in the first PISA assessment, released in 2000, many people rightly questioned the fairness of comparing an emerging economy to advanced countries like Finland and Japan. But Brazil rose to the challenge, making massive investments in improving the quality of teaching.

PISA’s

Tuesday 14th October8:30am - 4pm

Kamýk site: K Lesu 558/2, Prague 4Vlastina site: Vlastina 500/19, Prague 6

www.pbschool.cz/openday +420 226 096 200

OPEN DAY

Open Day_10.2014_PraguePOst_275x102.5.indd 1 29.08.14 8:43

TEXT ÁNGEL GURRÍA

Promise

THE PRAGUE POST SCHOOLS & EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT, AUTUMN 2014 www.praguepost.com 15

The country now boasts one of the world’s most rapidly improving education systems.Germany also featured in PISA 2000, recording below-average performance and large social inequalities in education – an outcome that stunned Germans and initiated a months-long public debate. Spurred into action, the government launched initiatives to support disadvantaged and immigrant students, and made the notion of early childhood education a driving force in German education policy. Today, PISA reports confirm that the quality and fairness of Germany’s education system have improved considerably.

Even in the world’s best-performing education systems, PISA helps to pinpoint areas for improvement. For example, PISA assessments have revealed that, while Japanese students excel at reproducing what they have learned, they often struggle when asked to extrapolate from that knowledge and apply it creatively. The effort that this has inspired to create more innovative learning environments was apparent last April, during a visit to the Tohoku schools destroyed by the 2011 tsunami.

This experience offers yet another lesson: even in cases where social and cultural factors seem to be the main force shaping a country’s education style, improvements are possible. Countries like Japan do not have to change their cultures to address their educational shortcomings; they simply have to adjust their policies and practices.

Creating a global platform for collaboration in

education research and innovation has been the PISA initiative’s aspiration from its conception in the late 1990s. Since then, policymakers, researchers, and experts have built the world’s largest professional network dedicated to the development of robust, reliable, and internationally comparable information on student learning outcomes.

At the same time, PISA measures students’ social and emotional skills and attitudes toward learning, as well as educational equity and parental support – all of which provides indispensable context for understanding scores on international assessments.

Of course, assessments do not cover every important skill or attitude. But there is convincing evidence that the knowledge and skills that the PISA system assesses are essential to students’ future success, and the OECD works continuously to broaden the range of cognitive and social skills that PISA measures.

PISA has already prompted important advances in education worldwide. The OECD will continue to work with the 80 participating countries to develop the program further, so that it can continue to help policymakers and educators design and implement better education policies – and give their citizens access to the tools that they need to build better lives.

Ángel Gurría is Secretary-General of the OECD.

(c) Project Syndicate, 2014. www.project-syndicate.org

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIPEDIA

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NEW YORK – Capitalism has produced many high-quality products and services, from smartphones to high-speed transport and compelling entertainment. Yet the profit motive, essential in so many fields, seems to have disappointed in one crucial area: education.

In the United States, for-profit universities have a six-year graduation rate of 22%, far below the 60% achieved by not-for-profit institutions. The former spend 23% of their revenue on recruiting new students, compared with a mere 1% spent by non-profit institutions. At the primary and secondary levels, charter schools (publicly funded independent schools) run by for-profit companies are 20% less likely than non-profit institutions to meet proficiency standards, with some of the weakest results coming from the largest for-profit institutions. Even companies that provide textbooks, educational

software, management systems, and student loans fail to achieve the level of excellence reached in other sectors.

For-profit education is not just a US phenomenon; it is part of a global trend. New for-profit universities are appearing wherever demand for higher education is strong. In developing Asia and Latin America, scores of new classroom and online English-language preparation programs are trying to meet demand, though it may be too early to judge their quality.

As the founder of several for-profit education companies and an adviser to many others, I have watched managers and investors (including my own) succumb to the temptation to place financial targets above academic goals. This should not be surprising – educational results take years to measure, but

THE ACHIEVING EDUCATION BUSINESS

16

TEXT JOHN S. KATZMAN

PHOTO COURTESY OF PROJECT SYNDICATE

UNDER

THE PRAGUE POST SCHOOLS & EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT, AUTUMN 2014 www.praguepost.com 17

profits and bonuses for executives are calculated annually.

I would like to believe that strong financial performance and educational excellence are not mutually exclusive. After all, for-profits can hire high-quality staff, respond nimbly to changing conditions, and raise the capital required to scale up quickly. American Public University System and Renaissance Learning, for example, have demonstrated that one can “do well by doing good.” One of my own companies brought together the capital, technology, and people needed to enable students worldwide to access America’s leading graduate programs online. Unfortunately, such projects are exceptions.

The education sector must find a better balance between quality and financial returns. Fourteen US states have started to do that by authorizing so-called benefit corporations (or B Corps) – businesses that promise to consider more than shareholder value in their strategic decisions. Though B Corps are expected to act in the public interest, they cannot be forced to do so; if they look beyond the bottom line, they do so voluntarily.

One solution might be to create a variant of the B Corp – call it the E Corp – that could transform the for-profit education sector. An education company could attain E Corp status only if it became transparent about its values and outcomes. For example, E-Corp-owned colleges might be required to provide prospective students with the graduation rate, average student-debt levels, and the average starting salaries of students with similar academic records and educational goals. Furthermore, E-Corp colleges might be required to reveal their per student instructional, marketing, and executive-compensation costs, as well as their pre-tax profits.

Critics might counter that no one should care how much profit a company earns, so long as it provides a worthwhile service. Perhaps, but why not share the data and see how many students enroll in a school when they fully understand their odds of success and how their money will be used? E Corps should also analyze and publish their results (including disappointing ones), as this would motivate schools to improve service. Not all education can be free, but information about education should be.

Many companies might embrace such reforms simply to serve students better. But we should not

underestimate the leverage of public spending. As confidence in the E-Corp metrics rises, we could make E-Corp status a condition for participating in government programs. In the US, that would include such coveted funding as Title I grants for primary and secondary education, and Title IV subsidized student loans for higher education. After all, why should companies benefit from taxpayer support if they are unwilling to put accountability and

educational excellence at least on the same level as their targets for return on investment?

Even the most mission-driven companies can be tempted to trade educational quality for outsize commercial returns. An E-Corp designation would ensure that education leaders can continue to focus on the bottom line, but still rise to the top of the class.

John S. Katzman is the founder and CEO of Noodle, a Web site that provides educational advice. He also founded The Princeton Review and 2U.

© Project Syndicate, 2014. www.project-syndicate.org

DO FINANCIAL TARGETS TAKE PRIORITY OVER ACADEMIC GOALS?

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TEXT NEWS DESK

The most comprehensive map of primary and secondary schools around the world offering the British curriculum has just recently gone live. It was created as a resource for British expat families who

want an easy transition between their home and host countries.

Parents moving to the Commonwealth countries of Nigeria, Pakistan and India will find the greatest coverage of schools: All of these countries have more than 40 schools to choose from. Other popular British expat destinations, such as Spain, France, Germany and the UAE, also have a

high number of schools.

The map and full list of schools can be viewed at www.expatandoffshore.com/british-schools-abroad.

The map contains more than 1,000 schools, with information about each school’s address, website, contact number and student population. Information for the map was culled from the Council for International Schools (CIS), the Council of British International Schools (COBIS) and the websites of individual schools.

Thailand, Australia and the UAE have the highest average student populations, whereas schools in Europe generally have a lower average size.

New interactive map

More than 1,000 schools worldwide can be found, along with contact information

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VISUALISATION OF BRITISH SCHOOLS IN EMEA

tracks British schoolsNew interactive map

tracks British schoolsNew interactive map

THE PRAGUE POST SCHOOLS & EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT, AUTUMN 2014 www.praguepost.com 19

For the Czech Republic, the map lists six schools in Prague, as well as one each in Brno, České Budějovice and Ostrava.

According to Expat & Offshore, the not-for-profit organization that made the map, the British school system is one of the most highly regarded in the world and is taught in almost every country. A British curriculum follows the early stages and key stages 2 to 5, at the end of which students sit their GCSE or Cambridge IGCSE exams. These qualifications are recognized by all higher institutions in the United Kingdom, as well as many other parts of the world, hence why they are so attractive to British parents. The reason there are relatively few British schools in Australia, Canada and the United States is that these countries expect incoming foreign students to adhere to their own national curricula, which are also exported around many parts of the globe.

Expat & Offshore presented several testimonials in support of British education, for parents who are still sitting on the fence. “British education has a worldwide reputation for quality and is synonymous with academic excellence both in schools and universities,” Alasdair Akass, the director of development at The British School of Paris, said in the press release.

“At the British School of Paris, our mix of the National Curriculum of England and Wales, coupled with a strong, first-class pastoral system, is an approach to education that is unique in France and many other countries outside the United Kingdom. In an increasingly competitive employment climate, the experience of a British education gives the best possible demonstration to employers of well-rounded, confident and intellectually curious individuals,” he added.

Many schools see the English educational model as the best in the world, but these schools also aim to ensure their students retain an international outlook, according to Expat & Offshore. “Our teaching and training activities reinforce the ties between Spanish and British culture, encouraging the integration of our students and stimulating the person from

the academic and personal point of view. In the Secondary Education stage, students prepare to sit their IGCSE and GCE ‘A’ Levels. In both cases, they may choose from a wide array of subjects oriented toward offering broad academic and personal education that will guarantee success in later university studies,” a spokesperson for the British School of Valencia said.

The level of education doesn’t need to lag, even though it takes place overseas or far from Britain.

“For kids coming from UAE private British schools, the targets are set very high. Usually if they have done well in the UAE they appear to be on a par with their peers when they come back to the UK,” 28-year-old Rachel Young, a teacher at a British school in Abu Dhabi, said.

One student offered a mixed review of the experience of British schools, proving that not everyone can be pleased all the time.

“GSIS was recommended by a family friend, whose two daughters were based at the school. He claimed his daughters did not feel like returning home. The fees to study in a school in India were significantly less than boarding school fees in the UK,” said Jeshad Palkhiwalla, a UK native who attended

Good Shepherd International School (GSIS) in Ootacamund, South India.

“Having lived in the UK for 10 years, it was difficult to adjust to the schooling culture in India. I found the school to be very disciplined — being struck by a cane was very common. The south Indian cuisine was not to my liking. Very often I had to eat meals I did not like. I did make some very good friends and was exposed to different genres of music that perhaps I would not have heard in the UK,” he added.

Expat & Offshore (www.expatandoffshore.com) is an online consumer resource for those seeking information and advice pertaining to matters related to expatriate life and offshore finance. A fully independent not-for-profit organization, the website provides an information hub full of news, guides and advice to help expats manage their work and money matters.

For kids coming from

UAE private British schools,

the targets are set very high.

Usually if they have done well

in the UAE they appear to be

on par with their peers when

they come back to the UK.

“”

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The number of foreign students

continues to

PRAGUE, AUG. 14 (ČTK) — The numbers of students from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Vietnam at Czech universities have increased steeply over the past 10 years, and one of the main reasons is that those

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THE NUMBER OF FOREIGN STUDENTS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC HAS BEEN CLIMBING OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS, WITH SLOVAKS MAKING UP AN ABSOLUTE MAJORITY.

PHOTO: © CHARLES UNIVERSITY

Those who study at public universities in ČRcan do so for free if the classes are in Czech

RISE

THE PRAGUE POST SCHOOLS & EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT, AUTUMN 2014 www.praguepost.com 21

studying in Czech pay no tuition fees, daily Právo writes today.

In 2013, 4,312 Russians studied at Czech universities, while it was 416 a decade earlier.

As the Russian language is related to Czech, Russians easily learn Czech in one year, the paper writes.

The number of Ukrainian students has been growing gradually from 458 in 2003 to 2,019 last year.

Ten years ago, there were only 75 students from Kazakhstan at Czech universities, but in 2013 their number reached 1,368. The number of Vietnamese and Belarusian students rose from 178 to 1,045 and from 183 to 617 in the same period, respectively.

As far as EU countries are concerned, most students come from the United Kingdom (505), Germany (436), Portugal (413), Poland (360) and Greece (355).

Other countries from which people have arrived to study in the Czech Republic are Norway (359), Malaysia (306), Azerbaijan (212) and Israel (134).

But clearly the biggest group of foreign students is Slovaks, whose number has exceeded 20,000 since

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EDUCATING TOMORROW’S LEADERS

Think value

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Practical and critical thinking orientation

International faculty and student body

Career office

The American University of PragueBachelor I Master I MBA I LL.M I Ph.D

University of New York in Prague

2009. There were 23,434 of them in 2013.

However, Slovaks are not really considered foreigners, as the languages are so similar that they can speak Slovak at Czech universities, and the older generation of Czechs has a good command of Slovak because the Czechoslovak state split in two only in 1993.

Slovaks comprised 6.36 percent of all students at Czech universities in 2013. The number of foreign students, not including Slovaks, was 17,402.

Foreign students other than Slovaks must prove that they can speak Czech. If they pass a language test, they can study together alongside Czechs for free. If students attend university in English, they have to pay tuition fees set by each university.

At Prague’s Charles University, the highest tuition for studies in English is paid at the medical faculty, with a fee for dentistry being 360,000 Kč a year, while the lowest tuition is 50,000 Kč at the Faculty of Humanities.

In total, 4,631 foreigners paid for university study in the Czech Republic last year.

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