Former UK chancellor supports plan to combine Eastern and Western education

Former UK chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne has written a letter of support for a new free school in Manchester that will combine Eastern and Western education, while a bilingual English and Mandarin pre-pschool is set to open in London next year.

Both schools are responding to an increasingly popular belief among parents in the United Kingdom that an understanding of Mandarin and Chinese culture will benefit their children as China's global influence grows.

The Manchester Rutherford School hopes to open in September 2017 and serve 900 students ages 11 to 16. This week, the school's board is submitting a bid to the Department for Education to register under the free school initiative. Such institutions are free to attend and receive state funding, though they are not controlled by the local educational authority.

The school will adhere to the regular curriculum, though Mandarin lessons will be compulsory and Eastern teaching methods will be employed.

"It will be very much focused on Chinese language and culture-a fusion of Eastern and Western pedagogies, with strong links to the business community," Peter Rowlinson, project manager for the free school bid, said recently. "Manchester is very keen to exploit the opportunities that China will bring as a marketplace and as a cultural exchange opportunity, particularly since President Xi's visit."

If the bid progresses, the board will be called to an interview at the Department for Education in November and could get the green light early next year. Both Manchester Metropolitan University and Trinity High School have agreed to be collaborative partners, and Rowlinson said that over 500 parents have expressed interest in the school.

"They believe Mandarin is a tool that will meet the needs of the local business community, in particular the ability to offer trading links and communication with China," he says.

Last week, Osborne sent a letter of support to Gerry Yeung, a Manchester entrepreneur who sits on the school's board. The former chancellor said the school aligned well with the Northern Powerhouse proposal, which aims to boost economic growth in northern England, partly by strengthening trade and investment ties with China.

Osborne was recently made chair of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, a new government-backed body that will promote the political and business interests of the Greater Manchester area. He was sacked as chancellor by new Prime Minister Theresa May in July.

"As a leading proponent of economic growth in our region and particularly the Northern Powerhouse and Manchester China Forum initiatives, I am keen to promote programs that improve educational standards and provide young people with the skills they need to represent our region on the world stage," Osborne wrote.

Interest in Mandarin is on the rise in the United Kingdom. The number of students taking the General Certificate of Secondary Education exam in Mandarin rose by 10 percent year-on-year in 2016, and has increased by 75 percent in the past five years.

England's first bilingual school for Mandarin and English is set to open next summer in London. Kensington Wade will be a fee-charging prep school for 500 students ages 3 to 13.

Hugo de Burgh, director of the China Media Centre at the University of Westminster and co-founder of Kensington Wade, said recently that the school will target three groups of parents. The smallest group comprises Chinese professionals working in London who want their children to receive an English education while maintaining their Mandarin. The largest group will be made up of other international parents.

"You'll have, say, a Japanese guy who's married to a French wife and they work in financial services in Central London. They are very sensitive to the fact that China is so important to the world," De Burgh says.

"Then there are British parents who have discovered how important China is, who know it's the main trading partner of 124 countries and that－especially after the G20－decision-makers, opinion formers and business leaders are all realizing what China does and where China invests is very important for the world's economy. If' Little Jane' can learn Chinese, she's got a head start."