During the term break, Sally and I went to China as part of a Hamilton Principal group, establishing sister school relationships with schools in Shijiazhuang. Our new sister school is Yuhuaxilu Primary (Yuhua West School)

The trip provided us the opportunity to explore the differences in our education systems. The schools we visited ranged from 1,000 to 5,000 students, were multi-storey with very limited playing areas. Students often started at 8am and finished at 5pm, before doing further after school study. 

In many classes there were over 50 students with just one teacher! Educators shared concerns around their system and that China only ranks 86th on the World Happiness Report (NZ ranked 8th), however there is little they can do alter things in schools due to the highly competitive nature of their system, compounded by the huge population vying for limited spaces at high schools and universities.

We were also able to gain a greater appreciation and understanding of Chinese culture, including the history, food and people. The way that Chinese people embrace and celebrate their culture and history was inspirational and highlighted the importance of us ensuring that we also do the same with regard to NZ history and culture.