Six British pupils, aged just 16, discovered the good news on 03 August that they are to become the first Engage with China Scholars to embark on a fully-funded A-level programme in September, thanks to a new collaboration with Wycombe Abbey School in Changzhou (WASC), China. An additional four scholars are being given a part-funded scholarship.
The idea of the Engage with China Scholars programme was conceived as recently as 27 June. H-J Colston-Inge, Director of EwC, said,
In the wake of a successful charity fundraising dinner we were approached by William Vanbergen, Founder of BE Education and a partner in Wycombe Abbey International Schools in China. We recognised that our organisations shared a vision to build a vital bridge between China and the UK through education and we wanted to give some British teenagers the chance not only to discover China for themselves but also to equip them to become cross-cultural leaders of the future. We are so delighted with the response to the scholarship offer and the number of high calibre applications that we received. The scholarship was originally for only six students, but thanks to the generosity of WASC the pilot cohort will include ten ambitious, intellectually curious, globally-minded young people. This will certainly change their lives and job prospects, giving them a huge springboard for their futures
H-J Colston-Inge made contact with the Scholars yesterday to let them know the good news by phone. On hearing that she was one of the lucky ones, Calista Ajibola from Mayfield Grammar School in Kent, said,
“Everyone’s thinking I’m crazy – I’ve got a huge smile on my face! My school will be just so blown away… they won’t believe it!”
Calista Ajibola, from Mayfield Grammar School, Kent
One question that all students were asked during the interview was what they thought was the biggest challenge facing the world in 2023 and how they might play a role in solving it. “Many responded that bias and poor communication was the key to many problems,” said H-J. “We were pleased to hear that all potential scholars felt that they would have a role after their A-level scholarship to share their learnings and to encourage young people to discover more about China and perhaps to apply for the scholarship programme in the future.”
William van Bergen of WASC said that,
The collaboration between Wycombe Abbey School and Engage with China will provide numerous benefits for students and the wider community including cultural exchange resulting in enhanced tolerance and appreciation; educational excellence; language acquisition through immersion in a bilingual learning environment; networking opportunities that may prove beneficial in their future careers and building business and trade prospects. In addition, we prize global citizenship by fostering a sense of responsibility towards addressing global challenges. This programme will contribute to the development of future leaders who can make a positive impact on a global scale.
The scholars have been selected from a variety of schools from all over the country. Two of the scholars have never studied mandarin whilst others have completed their GCSE in mandarin through a government-funded Mandarin for Excellence Programme offered at their schools. On hearing the news, Katharine Carruthers, the Mandarin Excellence Programme Strategic Director, said,
I am delighted that these Mandarin Excellence Programme students have successfully applied to study A-levels at Wycombe Abbey School in Changzhou. The students have studied for 5 years in an MEP school, learning Mandarin for 8 hours per week, so this will have given them an excellent foundation to take full advantage of this wonderful opportunity. I am really looking forward to hearing about their progress over the next two years as they continue on their journey to fluency in Mandarin.
There will undoubtedly be culture shock for all of the students on a number of levels as they take up residence in the city of Changzhou in Jiangsu Province. The city has a population of 5 million people and none of the EwC Scholars have attended boarding school before.
Another Scholar, Kat Pike from St George’s School comprehensive school in Harpenden, has never studied Chinese.
No one has had an opportunity like this before from my school and my headteacher was really surprised when we asked for a reference. This is quite a shock! It will life-changing for me!”
Kat’s mother, Maggie, added, “I am so proud of Kat. We are still recovering from the wonderful shock of yesterday’s news!”
Stephen Phillips OBE who until recently was Director General of Invest HK (Hong Kong) and was also former CEO of the China-Britain Business Council is very supportive of the Scholarship programme. “If I had my time again, I would be on that aeroplane tomorrow. This is a fantastic opportunity and a way for the next generation to understand China in an immersive way. They will undoubtedly learn some vital cross-cultural skills that can used in their working life in the future.”
The next four weeks will be busy for the students and their families as they prepare for the start of term on 01 September. EwC will deliver a pre-departure cultural workshop to help the scholars to prepare for their life in China. It will also be an opportunity for the pupils to get to know each other before they meet at the airport ready to fly to a new life in China.
We look forward to following their journey over the next two years.
Engage with China 