Regional Council
Mr Richard Henry
Head of School
Sekolah Global Jaya, Indonesia
Richard Henry is the Executive Principal of Global Jaya International School. The school is authorized to run all three IB programmes and has been doing so for the past six years.
He is currently the representative for the Asia-Pacific region on the IB Diploma Programme Committee which meets annually in Cardiff to discuss issues regarding the implementation of the Diploma.
Richard is one of the Heads of School elected onto the IB Asia-Pacific Regional Council, which has an advisory role to the IBAP Regional Director. He also holds a position on the executive board of the Indonesian Association of National Plus Schools and has served on school accreditation committees for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) around the Asia Pacific region. Richard has been involved in education for over 20 years and has lived in Indonesia for the past nine years. Born in Scotland, Richard was raised in Australia where he worked in both public and private schools before moving to Indonesia.
In what ways can the IB tap into your expertise/experience?
I am experienced in the milieu of the Indonesian educational system and have worked closely with Indonesian government officials and educational authorities in advancing the reputation of the IB programmes. My experience as a WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) accreditation team member and Head of a WASC accredited school, has placed me in a fortunate position to be able to support issues surrounding the recently proposed joint accreditation visits between WASC and the IBO. I have a particular interest in defining educational standards and benchmarks and how these transpose into an international setting. Although my degree major was in Biology, my educational Masters degree was focused on dual language learning and its effectiveness on multi-lingual students.
What do you think are the strategic imperatives and challenges for IB in this region and how do you think it can meet them?
- Mind the Gap – continuity between the three programmes.
- Access – the ‘affordability’ of the programmes.
- Development – creating a wide range of affordable professional development for teachers and administrators.
What are the two lessons you learned in your career that you would pass on to others?
Openness. Ensure that your school action plan, review cycle, policies and procedures are clearly visible and there is a means by which improvement may be measured. This should be done in such a way that all stakeholders feel part of the school development process and thereby be empowered to proactively contribute to school improvement plans. Then celebrate those achievements.
Don’t underestimate the kids. Children have an incredible amount of potential and I have continually been reminded of the extraordinary heights to which they can reach. Children are only limited by the constraints that we place on them. The inquiry based approach of the PYP has opened my eyes on so many occasions to the astonishing potential of children as learners. In conjunction, teaching ToK has added another positive dimension to my view that the next generation will make a significant impact on improving our global communities.
What is the last book that you read?
Two books - The World is Flat – Thomas Friedman
Chart Throb – Ben Elton
Contact
IB Asia Pacific Regional office
IB Asia-Pacific
15 Hoe Chiang Road
# 11-04/06 Tower Fifteen
Singapore 089316
REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE
Phone: +65 6776 0249
Fax: +65 6776 4369
Email: ibap@ibo.org
