Issue 30 • September 2015 • Record of Summer Term 2015
THE
OCELLUS From the Headmaster
I think it was in 1992 that Deng Xiaoping announced the market reforms that were to lead to the transformation of the Chinese economy. Since then, the country has recorded eye-watering rates of economic growth, and China became one of the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) that were heralded as the primary vehicles of global economic growth. These countries, with massive populations, and a growing middle class, were going to spend us into economic prosperity. However, as I write, newspapers are reporting a massive slump in stock markets in the Far East, with the Shanghai Composite index, for example, losing 16% of its value in just one week. The FTSE also slumped in sympathy. The reasons are undoubtedly complex, but some commentators are saying this is partly because the new Chinese middle classes defied expectations, and decided to save rather than spend. It is a sobering thought that, were the majority of the world’s population suddenly to decide that they had enough ‘things’, that they had no need for the latest models, new gadgets or designer labels, the global economy would go into meltdown and plunge the world into depression. It is easy to agree with the popular paraphrase of Churchill, that Capitalism is the worst economic system, except for all the others. But, as the cliché has it, it does make you think! It is hard to picture this never ending upward spiral, of prosperity inextricably dependent on unending growth, without feeling a little queasy. It has implications for education, as almost everything does. Schools such as Cokethorpe help to create highachievers, who will probably one day become high-earners and big-spenders. If that was all we achieved, it would be hard not to view the achievement as particularly shallow. One doesn’t have to be religious to hope that life has greater meaning than this. So, along with parents, and with our pupils themselves, we try to help them develop a more profound sense of purpose. This can be in terms of personal growth, and the ability to gain joy in music, in literature, in creativity, in sport. For most it will be found in the nurturing of their own children. Hopefully it will also be even more outward looking, in the satisfaction that can be gained in service and in building communities.
1