Editor's note: Dr Betty Chan Po-King, Director of Yew Chung International Schools was recently awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) for her life long work in the area of early childhood education. We joined Dr Chan to discuss her educational philosophy and vision of how education will change in the future as a result of globalization.

Q: Dr Chan, you must feel honored to be the first Chinese person to be recognized for contributions to early childhood education.

A: Yes I am delighted to receive this honorary degree, especially as it comes from my Alma Mater.

However, this degree is not only for my work but is shared by all my Yew Chung colleagues. I am very pleased that the philosophy of the Yew Chung International Schools (YCIS) has been recognized as a positive influence on the modern world.

I have been working on cultivating an environment that integrates the East and the West. In this environment we can prepare new generations to be future leaders.

Q: What is special about your education philosophy and why do you believe it is important?

A: Over the past few decades the world has changed immeasurably and has become more like a village. We need to prepare students for the future by looking at the trends that are emerging in our society.

I want to offer students a global education, which will give them the linguistic, academic and social skills needed for the globalized world.

During my recent visit to the US and the UK, I saw many socio-economic problems that prevail in the two countries.

Many of them stem from human selfishness. Therefore, it is important that we pass on to the next generation a sense of responsibility for the planet, sustainable development with technological progress. We are united by a common global vision and a commitment to humanitarianism.

In facing the challenges of globalization, we equip young people with positive values, virtues, skills and global views to construct and maintain a better world.

Q: What are the characteristics of students who receive a YCIS education and how does this equip them to be 'tomorrow's leaders'?

A: Firstly, all of our students study two languages, English and Mandarin Chinese. As these are the two most widely spoken languages in the world it means our graduates can communicate with the majority of the world's population.

Secondly, our students receive a strong character education and engage in community service which teaches them to be responsible world citizens with a strong moral outlook and able to respect people from all cultures.

Lastly, our students are taught by the highest quality teachers who make them academically strong. Therefore, our students are globally minded, socially aware and have the knowledge and study skills to reach the top positions in their chosen field.

Q: Why did you choose to specialize in the field of early childhood education?

A: I am truly committed to education for all ages, however early childhood education is the indispensable foundation stage for later learning.

My mother, Madame Tsang Chor-hang founded the first Yew Chung kindergarten in Hong Kong in 1932. She wished to help students to acquire knowledge and build good character.

After I returned from completing my post-graduate studies in the USA in the 1970s I took over the running of the schools and introduced new concepts.

At that time I found that few other schools were paying attention to early childhood education. I believed strongly that this was a critical time.

Over the years, research has shown that the phase between the ages of zero and eight is critical to a child's growth. What they come in contact with has a very strong impact on various aspects of their lives, including personality, intellectual development and sociability, which often extend to their future.

The human brain is the most stimulated by external factors and most receptive to information at this age. Therefore I wanted to contribute to this critical developmental stage and develop a holistic education style.

Q: When did your school come to the Chinese mainland?

A: A group of officials from the Shanghai Education Bureau visited us in the early 1990s and were impressed by the style of education they saw, by the combination of East and West.

They became even more convinced when they spotted a Western boy reading aloud a Tang poem.

This led to an invitation by the Shanghai Education Bureau to open a campus in Shanghai.

This first mainland campus was followed by the establishment of YCIS in Beijing, Chongqing and Qingdao. Quality international education is considered by the Chinese government as crucial in attracting foreign investment since it is a basic need of expatriates with families.

We hope launching the campuses can contribute to the societal and economic development of the respective cities.

Q: This year is YCIS Beijing's 15th anniversary. How will you celebrate?

A: We will have various events in school over the coming year to commemorate our 15th Anniversary.

We really have a lot to celebrate in YCIS Beijing this year. As well as the anniversary we also recently received confirmation that we have been officially accredited by three major education institutions:

The Council of International Schools, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and the National Center for School Curriculum and Textbook Development.

We are also very proud of the achievement of the Graduating Class of 2010. The class is the biggest cohort of graduates to date with 27 students. The benefit of a YCIS education can clearly be seen in the 117 university placement offers received by the students, including entry to 64 universities worldwide and 15 scholarships offers.

Q: What does the future hold for YCIS as an organization?

A: We are looking forward to conducting some major research into the YCIS education model. Over the years we have seen many examples of the success of our model but now it is time to document, qualify and quantify the experiences and practices.

Only by this self-analysis can we continue to improve our programme.

Furthermore, during the second half of 2010, YCIS will continue expanding its network by exploring new potential premises in Chinese mainland.

We will decide the launches based on market needs and local development. We know that there are many who could benefit greatly from global education and we want to be able to share this opportunity with many people.

The future may be challenging but it is yet to be known; therefore, educators have the responsibility to guide our children the right way, and help them make sensible choices.