Message from Academic Director

Following a long career in school management both in the UK and in various international locations, I arrived in Shanghai in August 2009 to assume the position of Academic Director with Dipont Education Management Group. From the outset, I have been enthused with the vitality and mission of this relatively young company and impressed with its accomplishments during its six year history in delivering a foreign curricula programme. From a base of established success built upon its partnership with CIE in Cambridge in the UK, it is now breaking new ground with the Advanced Placement Programme and is in discussion with the International Baccalaureate Organisation to introduce the Diploma Programme in some centres in China.

My role is to provide quality control procedures throughout our centres. This involves visiting all centres and watching staff teach. I also work closely with the Director of Human Resources to introduce and attract high quality professionals to the Dipont family in the hope that they will enjoy a fulfilling and challenging career period in China. The remainder of my time is focused on establishing the new growth initiatives mentioned in the previous paragraph.

Arriving in mainland China for the first time, having worked elsewhere in the world, including considerable time spent in other parts of SE Asia, I have to admit to having been very pleasantly surprised by what I have found. I had a vision of a rather grey, industrial power house of a nation with polluted cities and a chaotic, crowded community. The pollution is there to an extent and the crowds are unquestionably present. However the cities (and I have toured ten to date with my work) are lovely, with greenery in abundance and a lifestyle which is well-organised and efficient. What has captivated me most without a doubt are the superb young people who form our student body. Not only are they among the brightest I have had the pleasure to work with, they are also extremely friendly, respectful and receptive even to my Scottish accent and humour!

To any of you who choose to join us at Dipont, I wish you a long and rewarding time in China and look forward to meeting you in your workplace in due course.

John Birchall
Academic Director