Debating the future of education at Wellington College

Today, Wellington College welcomed a large number of festival goers to attend our inaugural Festival of Education. Inspired by the success of the celebrated Festival of Education held annually at Wellington in the UK, we welcomed Sir Anthony Seldon, the 13th Master of Wellington College in the UK to deliver the opening address and set the context for the two days’ event before immersing ourselves into challenging lectures, out of the box ideas on education, new practice thoughts.

The doors will open again tomorrow morning at 8:30am for more thoughtful lectures and sessions! Here is what you missed if you were not here today at the Festival!

During his captivating keynote speech, Sir Anthony Seldon inspired the audience. “Many education systems focus on exams being the sole validators of school but recent research suggests that jobs with a big growth in salary have been those that require a high degree of social skills. It is the ‘human’ skills that cannot be replaced by computers that Chinese schools and schools worldwide need to be giving far greater focus. Whilst exams are vital, so are communication skills, leadership, teamwork, collaboration and creativity.”

Today’s festival’s speakers included Mr. Yin Houqing, former Deputy Director of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, shared his unique point of view about K12 education. David Cameron, a seasoned education thought leader, explored how schools ‘can truly be improved’ as part of an Explorations session. Mr. Luo Hangean, Director of the Education and Digital Service Department, Amazon Kindle China, shared ‘how ebooks and digital technology will change schools and classrooms of the future’.

Dr Yang Yang, Deputy Head of Wellington College International Tianjin and Director of the Chinese Sixth Form, delivered a session exploring ‘the strengths and challenges of an international curriculum for Chinese students’. In the afternoon, Wellington Senior School pupils and parents attended an amazing lecture from Jeffery Forshaw, particle physicist on the Quantum Universe.

The objective of Wellington College’s Festival of Education is to provide a unique opportunity to engage with fresh and different ideas.