How Cultural Diversity Offered By Boarding Schools Impacts Education?

Boarding school is not just a school, it is a different world in itself. It is a separate habitat with inhabitants from different backgrounds, ethnicities, and sexualities across gender spectrums. It is a home away from home for all the students and teachers dwelling there. It contributes to a variety of opportunities which leads to a holistic well-being of an individual. 

Since students spent the majority of their time there, they are introduced to people from various backgrounds and they have to interact with people coming from different walks of life. This prepares them to sensitize towards all the people and have a better understanding and more openness to new experiences. 

The cultural diversity offered by boarding schools is so vast and helpful in the holistic development of individuals. They learn to be amiable to other people and they start appreciating and respecting the differences in one another. There’s no doubt in the fact that boarding schoolers have an edge over day school students since normal schools have limited hours whereas several boarding schools are not bounded by time. 

Cultural diversity helps the students to become more open-minded and accepting towards people due to the introduction to them from a young age. They are more likely to not develop any preconceived notions and prejudices against a particular sect of people. 

The multiculturality of the top boarding schools inculcates a sense of global citizenship in a child which means seeing the world as a whole and not as a specific community, part or region. It helps the child to think “outside the box”. they get to exchange their ideas with people around the world. 

Here Are The Ways How Cultural Diversity Offered By Boarding Schools Impacts Education:

1. Language Proficiency 

The most basic yet best skill gained while interacting with people from different sects of society is that one can acquire language skills. Students become fluent in languages which is not their first language and often become bilingual. Which implies they start to read, write and speak two languages. 

2. Personality Development

The development of personality is crucial to thriving in the fast-paced world. Interaction with people from various backgrounds shapes the character of an individual. Having interacted with different people gives you an exceptional demeanour. These individuals have a moral advantage over others when it comes to the emphasis given to character over other things. 

3. Problem-Solving Skills

When individuals closely work together on a project, their way of tackling the situation may bring a wide range of ideas and different viewpoints and perspectives to the table. These different opinions may force them to learn from one another and develop their problem-solving abilities. This provides them with a more original and useful answer.  

4. Greater Tolerance And Respect For Diversity

One edge that a person gets by being exposed to different cultures can help them to understand one another better. Top boarding schools not only let people meet people from different backgrounds but also help them build strong friendships over time. This nurtures their bond and encourages them to develop a greater sense of appreciation and value they bring to society. 

5. Challenges And Growth Opportunities For Personal Development

The boarding schools foster young minds with cognitive and personal growth. The students there are exposed to a diverse community of individuals and are always challenged by them both academically and socially. They help students in their personalities by inculcating various qualities in them which sets them apart from other day schoolers. As there are two sides to a coin, so have boarding schools. Along with some opportunities it brings about certain challenges as well. 

Preparation For Global Citizenship And Professional Success

The cultural diversity offered by boarding schools makes students become open to the world and their thinking is not restricted and they start thinking beyond borders. They don’t look at the world as a specific caste, community, or race but they see it as a whole. They become used to the idea of cross-cultural communication. In fact, for them, it s a norm and not some alien concept as it is for most people. And surely it will become the new normal in the next 10 years. 

Global citizenship opens various personal, academic and professional avenues for students and helps them build a strong foundation for their futures. Since there is a global network where the students come from different socio-cultural backgrounds it increases their chances professionally as it provides them with more opportunities. 

The students who live in such culturally diverse environments wherein they are challenged to acknowledge different viewpoints along with accepting cultural biases are more likely to excel professionally as they possess various qualities that a day schooler does not have.

They face academic as well as social challenges from their peers who make them habitual to take on challenges.    

Also Read: The Role of Extracurricular Activities in Boarding Schools in India