One of the main challenges facing education in this century is to educate young people for the ‘real world’ of diversity and difference. Schooling should merge from clear philosophical and spiritual underpinning and should take place within a compassionate and caring community to attain the balanced development of the whole person. It should offer opportunities for the pupil to show initiative and self-discipline.

In a world that is characterised by rapid change, our educational efforts need to foster in our students thinking skill and inquisitive attitude that encourage them to question and try rather than wait for their teachers to give them the answers. They must learn to think for themselves. Critical thinking skill and a healthy scepticism will enable them to gain meaningful independence of thought. Where possible, privilege should be linked with responsibility. Age alone should not be considered as the automatic rite of passage from one set of freedom to another.

We must enable our students to develop the skills of global understanding. The forces of cultural homogenization around the world are powerful, particularly for young adults with a desire to fit in. It is only by living and working together, facing challenges together and sharing experiences of success and failure that those from fundamentally different backgrounds will learn both to interrogate their own thinking and to understand one another.

Resilience is the other most important quality a school can develop in its students. When it comes to preparing for life’s challenges, an ounce of prevention in the form of resilience is worth more than a pound of cure. As an ancient Japanese proverb puts it, "Fall seven times, stand up eight".