Sustainable and ethical business practice has become a hot topic in international education, reports Joanna Eckersley for The PIE News. English language schools such as ILAC in Canada have made a commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by investing in local and international projects.
The recent trend is based on the idea that the international education sector can and should play a key role in building a better world. Bogie Lapinski Anaya, of Canada’s ILAC English language school, has been promoting Canadian education programs to foreign students for over 10 years. She recalls how difficult it was to turn students away who could not afford tuition fees. “How many of us have spoken to bright and articulate students who will never have a chance to study abroad? Yet often institutions do not have the flexibility or resources to think outside the box,” she says.
After 15 years of providing English language courses to students from around the world, ILAC decided it was time to give back to the larger community. ILAC Executive Director Jonathan Kolber created a non-profit arm of ILAC, the ILAC Foundation, which is dedicated to the promotion of peace through international education. After reading a book by Palestinian peace activist Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, Kolber was inspired to donate $200,000 CAD to the doctor’s charity Daughters for Life to provide scholarships for female students from the Middle East.
To read the full story in The PIE, go to http://thepienews.com/analysis/how-is-social-responsibility-changing-international-education/
