A Village to Raise a Child - Affordable Primary International School in Singapore

This article is one of a series considering how a school offering a cheap education at an international school in Singapore can still be second to none?

“It takes a village to raise a child”, proclaims the sage. And while this is said to be an African proverb, its essence is universal. For better or for worse, children don’t only learn from parents and teachers, but from everyone in the community within which they grow up. The entire community plays a role in providing the space in which children can develop, make mistakes, be corrected, and hopefully, will be able to figure out how to live a happy life.

In school environments, there is generally an awareness of this requirement but there is often no conscious program to implement the idea. While at Invictus, which is an affordable primary international school in Singapore, we have made a conscious effort to make this idea part of our daily thinking.

From the time of their arrival at the school every morning – when they are greeted by their first name by the principal or the vice-principal and their temperatures are checked by a member of the administrative staff – every child knows that they are recognised for the individual they are.

They know that they are known in the village and are reminded that every adult with whom they come into contact is looking out for them, is caring for them.

Even when the children are at play, care is taken to see how they are interacting with others, how they are sharing, how they are leading, how they are caring for each other.

Just as is the case when children need to be nursed if they have scraped a knee or bumped a head, so they need to be given guidance when they have crossed a behavioural boundary as children are wont to do. And occasionally, as with Icarus, it is in the nature of children to fly too close to the sun; so it is our conscious task at Invictus to recognize - as one would in a village - the aspirations and tribulations of each individual…, and then to catch them ‘before the wax melts’.

Of course, the standard we have set ourselves, as educators, mentors, and as a shoulder to cry on when required, is a high one. But we believe that this aspect of our offering to expat parents is not impacted by the fact that we are an affordable primary International School in Singapore. A village does not have to be a wealthy one to bring out the best in its children, but it certainly does have to be a caring one. Invictus is indeed such a village.