An education-led response
Independent schools have always had an important role to play in supporting innovation in our education sector, and now it is time for industry to get more heavily involved.
Several of the world’s most pioneering schools and universities already work with industry partners to ensure that students are well prepared for life beyond the classroom or lecture theatre. At Dollar Academy, we have recently launched Dollar Discovers, a free online learning platform for young people across Scotland.
In addition to offering free access to SQA courses, with a view to closing the attainment gap, Dollar Discovers also challenges traditional curricular by offering shorter, interdisciplinary ‘Discovery’ courses. Each of these is framed around one or more of the UN’S Sustainable Development Goals, and brings together leading figures from industry, NGOS and academia.
Discovery courses, which have been developed in partnership with the groundbreaking Nuvu Innovation School in the USA, are designed to sit alongside and complement traditional courses. They allow students to develop their curiosity and critical thinking, in order to better understand the world around them. The first two Discovery courses, which carry industry backing from Johnstons of Elgin and Andrew Whalley, Chair of Grimshaw Architects, are Activist Fashion and Architecture for Wellbeing.
Moving forward, I believe that industry should take more of a stake in curricular design, and many of our Discovery courses will be co-created with industry partners. Through sharing their experience, we can create a national curriculum that is grounded in contemporary, realworld challenges that need solving. For example, I have seen firsthand pupils design and build low cost robots that can pull plastics out of the oceans, when given the opportunity and support to do so.
The pandemic and its impact on schooling and exams is surely just one reason why it is right we question the educational status quo. There are others, of course, such as the inconvenient truth that the current education system in the UK has largely been inherited from the 19th century and aspects of it have not changed since this time.
Whatever the future holds, I am certain we must provide time and space – both physical and digital – for educational experiences that nourish both creative and critical thought in our pupils. I strongly believe in the transformative power of education and our responsibility to support as many young people as possible in their development. I sincerely hope industry leaders will join us on this exciting journey.
Ian Munro is rector at Dollar Academy