ANNUAL REPORT
UWC South East Asia
2021/2022
01
MESSAGE FROM
MADAN MENON,
CHAIR OF BOARD OF
GOVERNORS
02
MESSAGE FROM
NICK ALCHIN,
INTERIM HEAD OF COLLEGE
03
UWCSEA GUIDING
STATEMENTS, GOVERNANCE
AND LEADERSHIP
05 UWCSEA Guiding Statements
07 UWC movement
09 UWCSEA Governance
and Leadership
13
UWCSEA STRATEGY
2018–2023
19
UWCSEA 50TH
ANNIVERSARY
Contents
71
BUSINESS REPORT
73 Human Resources
75 UWCSEA Foundation
77 Finance
79 Admissions
57
OUR COMMUNITY
61 Students and families
63 Boarders and scholars
65 Staff
67 Alumni
69 Parent Community
25
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
32 Academics
39 Activities
45 Outdoor Education
49 Personal and
Social Education
53 Service
1 | UWCSEA Annual Report 2021/2022
On behalf of the Board of Governors, I am pleased to present
the UWCSEA 2021/2022 Annual Report to our community,
which provides an overview and reflection of the College’s
achievements over the last school year. It was a year full of joy
and celebration as the College marked 50 years of the UWC
spirit in Singapore, and I was privileged to be Chair of the Board
as our global community of students, staff, parents and alumni
came together to honour our past and look to the future.
The year began with our alumni reunion, when more than 800
alumni joined us for a series of online events, focused on our
mission. Along with the launch of our Values in Action awards
and the publication of a 50th anniversary song, written and
performed by alumni and students, the reunions and events
throughout the year connected our alumni back to the College.
During Founders’ Week in December, we launched our 50th
anniversary book, raised nearly $500,000 for scholarships and
were honoured to receive a video message of congratulations
from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong himself.
Throughout the year we had several speaker events, launching
with a discussion on peace with Kishore Mahbubani—who also
announced the UWCSEA partnership with the NUS Asia Peace
Programme—and culminating in our Forum Learning to Shape
the Future in April 2022. A hybrid in-person and online event
over two days, it attracted a global audience of nearly 4,000
people and convened conversations on inclusion, innovation,
partnerships, peace and sustainability. The presentations,
given by leaders in education, as well as students, staff and
parents, connected our whole community to our mission once
more and reminded all of us of the ongoing urgency of making
education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for
peace and a sustainable future.
Reflecting on the many events of our 50th year, it is hard
to believe that they took place as the College continued
to respond to the impact of the global pandemic on our
community and our operations. As restrictions lifted and were
reintroduced through the year, the whole community remained
responsive and flexible, re-prioritising operations while taking
care of each other.
Perhaps inevitably, the end of the year saw a bigger transition
within our community than in previous years, as staff and
families made the decision to return home, after many years
of separation from extended family and friends. Our inaugural
College President, Carma Elliot, completed her three-year term,
and we finished the year setting up a new leadership structure
that will lead the community through the next phase.
No two years at the College are ever the same, and 2021/2022
was special in many ways. I would like to congratulate
everyone associated with the College, past, present and future,
on 50 years of extraordinary education in Singapore. I thank my
fellow governors, whose dedication as volunteers is humbling
and inspiring. On behalf of the Board of Governors, thank you
to staff and leadership for their dedication and to our parents
for their trust in us. Most of all, I would like to express my
admiration for our remarkable students, in whose service we
all stand.
Sincerely,
Madan Menon
CHAIR OF
BOARD OF GOVERNORS
MESSAGE FROM
2 | UWCSEA Annual Report 2021/2022
Welcome to the 2021/2022 Annual Report for the College,
which describes our achievements during our 50th
anniversary year. I hope you enjoy reading it.
Annual reports inevitably share statistics and information,
rather than individual or collective experience. Nevertheless,
in reading through the report, I am very much reminded of
the power and importance of the shared events that shape
individual experiences. Sociologist Emile Durkheim captured
this by talking about ‘two level man’. There is the humdrum
level of individuality—the realm of everyday life. But there
is also what he called the sacred—‘everything in us that
expresses something other than ourselves’. As psychologist
Jonathan Haidt says: "[we must] allow rituals to pull us out of
the ordinary into the sacred, to bind us as a group; and then
return to everyday life with our ties strengthened, and our
awareness of collective identities enhanced."
Our 50th anniversary year provided us with ample
opportunities to pull out of the ordinary and reconnect to
our mission and purpose. In the midst of the pandemic years,
thousands in our community came together to celebrate
our past, and think about our future. Life today differs from
life 50 years ago in so many ways that it’s hard not to think
there will be further rapid change ahead. At the same time
it’s also hard not to question the very foundations on which
this change has been built. We can no longer confidently rely
on technologies as an unqualified good; nor unquestioningly
assume confidence in the processes and leaders of our public
institutions; nor take for granted infinite natural resources,
a stable climate, or social change that benefits all. And yet,
with all that uncertainty, and allowing for the nostalgia that
we inevitably feel when we look to what seems like a simpler
past, our 50th year was characterised most of all by hope and
by faith in the future.
That hope and faith was grounded in what matters most in
our school—the human talent and energy of our students,
staff and parents. The surest guarantors of our future are
individuals and the ideas they have, including the values,
intellectual, moral, and social, that they convey to one
another. This is at once both blindingly obvious but also
immensely profound. None of our endeavours happen
without the right people—but it’s so easy to forget that when
we pay attention to systems, policies, processes, protocols,
buildings and statistics. Sometimes we can get the impression
that there is more to civilization than the humans who make
it up. But there isn’t. A little maybe, but not a lot. The dance
doesn’t exist without the dancer.
Our community is above all about people and I would like
to acknowledge all the many people whose dedication helps
our large and complex school run smoothly. Thank you to
students and staff, and to all our partners who worked with
us last year. Thank you to parents for your unfailing support,
especially through very difficult days. Finally, and most
importantly, a most sincere thank you, on behalf of everyone
in our community, to our Governors, who work tirelessly in
service to the College and whose leadership and support last
year made so many things possible.
Nick Alchin
INTERIM
HEAD OF COLLEGE
MESSAGE FROM
“The most common idea is that peace is the absence of war, that idea of negative
peace. But when we think about peace education at UWC, and when we talk
about peace education, we’re really talking about positive peace.”
ELLIE ALCHIN, Director of Teaching and Learning, UWCSEA Dover
3 | UWCSEA Annual Report 2021/2022
UWCSEA GUIDING STATEMENTS,
GOVERNANCE AND LEADERSHIP
5 | UWCSEA Annual Report 2021/2022
Because UWCSEA is driven by its mission, values and educational goal, we create an environment that is underpinned by
wellbeing and learning principles, and provide a holistic learning programme through a K–12 concept-based curriculum. The
UWCSEA learning programme thoughtfully and deliberately provides all students with age-appropriate opportunities to develop
the knowledge, skills, qualities and mission competencies that will enable them to live the mission throughout their lives.
UWCSEA Ambition: Our ambition is to be a leader in international education, with a worldwide reputation for providing a
challenging, holistic, values-based education with an emphasis upon academic achievement, service to others, environmental
stewardship, teamwork and leadership.
UWCSEA
GUIDING STATEMENTS
UWCSEA Guiding Statements
Because UWCSEA is driven by its Mission, Values and Educational Goal, we create an environment that is underpinned by
Wellbeing and Learning Principles, and provide a holistic Learning Programme that develops the Qualities, Skills and Mission
Competencies that enable students to live the Mission throughout their lives.
6 | UWCSEA Annual Report 2021/2022
UWCSEA WELLBEING PRINCIPLES
Our culture of care creates a shared commitment to
cultivate wellbeing for all members of our community. While
we know that feelings of wellbeing are personal and vary
between individuals, the College is responsible for providing
the conditions for community wellbeing to flourish. This
includes opportunities to feel connected, autonomous,
and competent—for students, staff and parents alike—as
described here:
Connected: we feel connected when we feel known, heard
and cared for by others
Autonomous: we want to feel we can self-regulate our
actions, where possible, and make our own meaning of events
Competent: a sense of competence arises when we feel
effective and that we can continually develop craftsmanship
around our work
UWCSEA LEARNING PRINCIPLES
Our Learning Principles are based on the understanding that
learning is a life-long process in which the learner engages
with and reflects upon information and experiences to
construct new or modify existing understanding as well as
develop and apply Qualities and Skills.
We know that learning is effective when learners:
• construct new understanding by activating prior
knowledge and experience
• use timely and goal directed feedback
• collaborate
• are challenged
• feel secure and supported
• construct meaning by seeing patterns and making
connections
• actively process and reflect
• apply meta-cognitve skills
• understand the purpose of the learning
• have ownership of their learning
UWCSEA LEARNING PROGRAMME
Our Learning Programme consists of five interlinking
elements: Academics, Activities, Outdoor Education,
Personal and Social Education and Service. Delivered
through a carefully crafted K–12 concept-based curriculum,
the elements are combined to provide our students with a
holistic education that develops them as individuals and as
members of a global society.
UWCSEA PROFILE
Students are given multiple, age-appropriate opportunities to
develop the following Qualities and Skills we have identified
as required to help to fulfil our Mission:
Qualities
Commitment to care
Principled
Resilience
Self awareness
Skills
Critical thinker
Creative
Collaborative
Communicator
Self manager
UWCSEA MISSION COMPETENCIES
Ultimately, we hope that when they leave the College our
students will be equipped with these competencies so that
they are able to enact our shared Mission to unite people,
nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future
throughout their lives:
• Essential Literacies
• Interpersonal and Intercultural Understanding
• Peacebuilding
• Sustainable Development
• Self and Community Wellbeing
7 | UWCSEA Annual Report 2021/2022
UWCSEA is a
member of the UWC
movement, a group
of 18 schools and
colleges around the
world supported by a
network of National
Committees, made
up of volunteers in
around 150 countries.
This year, the College
celebrated the 50th
anniversary since
being opened on 15
December 1971 by
then Prime Minister
Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
UWCSEA is the
largest UWC in the
movement.
UWC MOVEMENT
San José, Costa Rica
UWC Costa Rica
Opened in
2006
Student population
192
Age group
16–19
Dilijan, Armenia
UWC Dilijan
Opened in
2014
Student population
220
Age group
16–18
Moshi and Arusha, Tanzania
UWC East Africa
Opened in
1969
Student population
500
Age group
3–20
Karuizawa, Japan
UWC
ISAK Japan
Opened in
2014
Student population
200
Age group
15–19
UWC South East Asia
Dover Campus, Singapore
Opened in
1971
Student population
3,020
Age group
4–18
East Campus, Singapore
Opened in
2008
Student population
2,589
Age group
4–18
UWC Adriatic
Duino, Italy
Opened in
1982
Student population
182
Age group
16–19
UWC Atlantic
Vale of Glamorgan,
United Kingdom
Opened in
1962
Student population
350
Age group
15–19
UWC
Changshu China
Changshu, Jiangsu
Province, China
Opened in
2015
Student population
570
Age group
15–18
All information correct as at 31 July 2022 | UWC student population source uwc.org
8 | UWCSEA Annual Report 2021/2022
Phuket, Thailand
UWC Thailand
Opened in
2008
Student population
380
Age group
2–18
Montezuma,
New Mexico, USA
UWC-USA
Opened in
1982
Student population
235
Age group
17–19
New Territories,
Hong Kong SAR, China
Li Po Chun UWC
Opened in
1992
Student population
256
Age group
16–18
Flekke, Norway
UWC Red Cross
Nordic
Opened in
1995
Student population
205
Age group
16–20
UWC Mahindra
Pune, Maharashtra, India
Opened in
1997
Student population
240
Age group
16–18
UWC in Mostar
Mostar, Bosnia
and Herzegovina
Opened in
2006
Student population
200
Age group
16–19
Pearson College
UWC
Victoria, British
Columbia, Canada
Opened in
1974
Student population
200
Age group
16–19
Maastricht, Netherlands
UWC Maastricht
Opened in
2009
Student population
900
Age group
4–18
Freiburg, Germany
UWC Robert
Bosch College
Opened in
2014
Student population
200
Age group
16–19
Mbabane, Eswatini
Waterford
Kamhlaba UWC
Opened in
1963
Student population
600
Age group
11–20
9 | UWCSEA Annual Report 2021/2022
UWCSEA
GOVERNANCE AND LEADERSHIP
OVERVIEW
UWCSEA is committed to the highest
standards of corporate governance.
The UWCSEA Board of Governors
recognises good governance as critical
in supporting the school in achieving
its mission and educational goal. Good
governance begins with the Board of
Governors and requires that they set the
tone for the organisation.
The Board of Governors is one of the
principal bodies with the fiduciary
obligation to ensure that the College
acts to further its stated objectives,
and that the College has appropriate
systems in place to properly account
for and safeguard the funds and assets
of the College. The Board of Governors
works closely with the management and
stakeholders of the College to shape the
vision, chart the major directions, and
develop programmes and initiatives to
produce a strong and enduring impact
for the College in Singapore and beyond.
UWCSEA BOARD OF GOVERNORS
The UWCSEA Board of Governors currently comprises 15 members. The Board
includes respected business and industry leaders, academics, educators,
entrepreneurs and professionals. All members serve on a voluntary basis.
Size, Committees and Meetings
The maximum number of Governors is 21. The Board has seven committees:
• Education and Talent, which sets and oversees education and talent
management strategies
• Foundation Investment and Disbursement, which provides strategic
direction for the Foundation’s investments and oversight of its disbursements
and investments
• Finance and Infrastructure, which oversees the College’s finances and its physical
and digital infrastructure
• Governance, which is responsible for nominations and governance matters
• Audit and Risk, which oversees audit and risk matters
• Engagement, which is responsible for improving the engagement and outreach of
the College locally and globally, including the UWCSEA Foundation
• Committee of Chairs, which functions as a coordinating and management
committee among the Chairs of the Board and Committees
Governors periodically re-evaluate the committee structure to ensure it is effective,
strategic and forward-looking.
The Board meets four times each year. Each Governor is usually a member of one
committee, which also meets a minimum of four times per year.
Board Effectiveness Review
A Constitutional Review Steering Group, established in 2020 following the Heidrick
& Struggles report (made available to the College community in May 2019), worked
to address to address the following:
• improving documentation to clarify the role of the Board and Management to
all stakeholders
• creating efficiencies by streamlining Board and committee papers
• improving induction and support for new Governors and Advisers
• providing useful and tailored training, engagement and team building
opportunities for Governors, Advisers and management
A Governance Practices Working Group was set up in June 2022, tasked with
progressively finalising the outstanding recommendations from the constitutional
review. The deliverables from this group, including a Philosophy of Governance
Statement, Board Charter and Code of Conduct for Board Members and Advisers
will be formally launched, along with the revised constitution, once approved by the
Charity Sector Administrator, in 2023.
10 | UWCSEA Annual Report 2021/2022
Composition
The Board consists of three groups of Governors:
• Ad Personam Governors – the majority of Governors are appointed by the
Board itself through a rigorous selection process. Many Ad Personam Governors
are parents of current students of the College. To ensure the Board benefits from
independent thinking, there are also several non-parent Governors
• Ex officio Governors – in July 2022, the College President Carma Elliot, CMG OBE
resigned and was replaced by the Interim Head of College, Nick Alchin
• Interested Party Governors – these are elected directly by their constituencies
and include two parent-elects and two teacher-elects, one from each campus
Governor Recruitment, Selection and Induction
The Board recruits Ad Personam Governors through a robust process that responds
to clearly defined skill requirements for the Board. Candidates are normally first
co-opted as Advisers to Board Committees. New Ad Personam Governors are
usually only selected from that pool of Advisers who have served on a Committee.
Appointments are based on an assessment of the following factors:
• professional skills and fit with Board requirements
• role models for UWC values, culture and alignment with the mission
• demonstrated ability to contribute to a Board
• past contributions to UWC/service institutions
• impact on Board diversity
• leadership potential
• positive impact on government relations
There is a comprehensive induction programme for all Advisers and Governors that
includes information about the College and the Board, an induction session with the
Board Secretary, and meetings with the Chair of the Board and other Governors.
Term Limits and Reviews
Governors serve a maximum of two, three-year terms. The College and the Board
holds its Governors and Advisers to a high standard and regularly evaluates each
Governor against the following criteria:
• is prepared for meetings
• listens to and challenges others, when appropriate, while maintaining an
atmosphere of respect
• contributes and participates in a manner consistent with UWCSEA values
• has made meaningful contributions to key decisions
• attends most meetings and is highly attentive when present
• contributes overall
Whistle Blowing Policy
The College has a Whistle Blowing policy
through which members of the UWCSEA
community may, in confidence, raise
concerns about possible wrong-doing
or improprieties in financial or other
matters within the organisation. The
Board thoroughly and appropriately
investigates matters brought to its
attention through the policy and takes
appropriate follow-up action.
Conflict of Interest
The College policy requires Board and
staff members to disclose any conflict
of interest in the performance of their
duties. In the case of the Board, the
policy requires Governors and Advisers
to report potential conflicts to the
Governance Committee, which may
impose remedies specific to the situation.
Policies on corporate
and individual behaviour
The Board also adheres to the College’s
policies on corporate and individual
behaviour, including the Board of
Governors Guidelines, Confidentiality
Policy, Harassment Policy, Staff
Safeguarding Code of Conduct, and
the Equal Opportunities, Access and
Disabilities Policy.
Commissioner of Charities
Oversight
The Board has adopted best practices in
key areas of governance that are closely
aligned with the Code of Governance
for Charities and Institutions of a
Public Character (the “Code”). In line
with the Commissioner of Charities
requirements, UWCSEA’s Governance
Evaluation Checklist and new
Transparency Framework can be found
via the Charity Portal website
www.charities.gov.sg.
11 | UWCSEA Annual Report 2021/2022
UWCSEA/UWCSEA-EAST/UWCSEA FOUNDATION BOARD MEMBERS
Madan Menon
Ad Personam Governor
Chair of the Board
Chair of Committee of
Chairs
Heather Carmichael
Ad Personam Governor
Chair of Education and
Talent Committee
Audit and Risk Committee
Committee of Chairs
Leon Toh
Ad Personam Governor
Engagement Committee
Finance and Infrastructure
Committee
Priti Devi
Ad Personam Governor
Chair of Engagement
Committee
Committee of Chairs
Sajjad Akhtar
Ad Personam Governor
Vice Chair
Chair of Governance
Committee
Committee of Chairs
Mark Porter
Interested Party Governor
– Common Room of
UWCSEA Dover
Education and Talent
Committee
Seng Chee Ho
Ad Personam Governor
Education and Talent
Committee
Dimple Sanghi
Ad Personam Governor
Chair of Finance and
Infrastructure Committee
Committee of Chairs
Jonathan Forth
Ad Personam Governor
Chair of the Audit and
Risk Committee
Committee of Chairs
Pamela Kelly Wetzell
Interested Party Governor
– Common Room of
UWCSEA East
Governance Committee
Kim Teo ’76
Ad Personam Governor
Foundation Investment
and Disbursement
Committee
Governance Committee
Stefanie Green
Interested Party Governor
– Parent Elect UWCSEA
Dover
Education and Talent
Committee
Benjamin Hill
Detenber
Ad Personam Governor
Education and Talent
Committee
Nick Alchin
Ex-officio Governor –
Interim Head of College
Education and Talent
Committee
Engagement Committee
Foundation Investment
and Disbursement
Committee
Finance and Infrastructure
Committee
Governance Committee
Jeff Plein
Interested Party Governor
– Parent Elect UWCSEA
East
Audit and Risk Committee
All information correct as at 31 July 2022.
12 | UWCSEA Annual Report 2021/2022
INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS: THE UWCSEA FOUNDATION LIMITED
Kirtida Mekani (appointed 14 February 2022)
UWCSEA BOARD ADVISERS
Dáire Dunne
Rahul Raj
Sharon Heller
Vivek Kalra
(retired 21 January 2022)
Hyunggee Chung
(resigned 3 June 2022)
Chas Pope
Yukiko Izumi
Anthony Hodge
Su Lian Tay
(appointed 9 December 2021)
Brian Arcese
(appointed 9 December 2021)
Penny Shone
(appointed 9 December 2021)
Mara McAdams
(appointed 16 June 2022)
Ijlal Naqvi (appointed 16 June 2022)
Don Stokes (appointed 16 June 2022)
UWCSEA/UWCSEA-EAST/UWCSEA FOUNDATION COMMITTEES
Audit and Risk Committee
Jonathan Forth, Chair
Heather Carmichael
Jeff Plein
Anthony Hodge (Adviser)
Yukiko Izumi (Adviser)
Education and Talent Committee
Heather Carmichael, Chair
Seng Chee Ho
Benjamin Detenber
Nick Alchin
Mark Porter
Stefanie Green
Sharon Heller (Adviser)
Ijlal Naqvi (Adviser)
Mara McAdams (Adviser)
Engagement Committee
Priti Devi, Chair
Leon Toh
Nick Alchin
Penny Shone (Adviser)
Foundation Investment and
Disbursement Committee
Dáire Dunne, Chair
Kim Teo ’76
Nick Alchin
Kirtida Mekani (Independent Director)
Finance and Infrastructure
Committee
Dimple Sanghi, Chair
Leon Toh
Nick Alchin
Rahul Raj (Adviser)
Brian Arcese (Adviser)
SuLian Tay (Adviser)
Governance Committee
Sajjad Akhtar, Chair
Nick Alchin
Pamela Kelly Wetzell
Kim Teo ’76
Don Stokes (Adviser)
Committee of Chairs
Madan Menon, Chair
Sajjad Akhtar
Heather Carmichael
Priti Devi
Dimple Sanghi
Jonathan Forth
All information correct as at 31 July 2022.
The audited Financial Statements and full Corporate Governance reports for each campus and the Foundation are available on the Charity Portal: charities.gov.sg.
“The better we become at imagining alternative futures and understanding their
consequences, the better we will be prepared for the future that eventually arises.”
ANDREAS SCHLEICHER, Director for Education and Skills, OECD, speaking at the UWCSEA Forum: Learning to
Shape the Future, April 2022
13 | UWCSEA Annual Report 2021/2022
UWCSEA STRATEGY 2018–2023
15 | UWCSEA Annual Report 2021/2022
UWCSEA STRATEGY 2018–2023
During the 2021/2022 year, the College and campuses continued to enact the UWCSEA Strategy, based on the Strategic Vision
which describes the intended five-year outcome in each of four Areas of Focus.
Ten distinct strategies, identified across the four Areas of Focus, have become strands that guide the College to realise the strategic
outcomes. These strands inform planning and decision-making for campuses, schools and operational areas at the College.
During 2021/2022, each campus continued implementing the multi-year plans for projects that are bringing these strategies to
life, supported by the College’s administrative and operational teams. Some strands were prioritised to receive focus, while other
strands received less focus as the outcomes were on track, and others were identified as being a focus in the final year of the
strategy, during 2022/2023. Priorities were necessarily different on each campus, and identified in the campus-specific strategies
that were reviewed at the start of the year.
The Board of Governors oversees progress through a report on an Area of Focus at each of the four meetings during the year,
while the senior leadership teams monitor the detailed projects.
The global pandemic continued to impact the operations of the College during the 2021/2022 school year, and operational
reprioritisation and strategic, compassionate response to the ongoing conditions for students, staff and families remained a key
consideration when adjusting the operations and programmes so as to remain in alignment with the College Strategy.
The following pages highlight the 2021/2022 outcomes of the campuses’ progress towards the UWCSEA Strategy 2018–2023 in
each of the four Areas of Focus.
UWCSEA STRATEGIC VISION
Students will be equipped with the qualities and skills to become compassionate, engaged global citizens who seek to make a
positive contribution towards peace and a sustainable future. To achieve this, a diverse, united and caring College community will
focus creatively on students learning through a dynamic, holistic programme that supports individuals, their wellbeing and their
readiness for an uncertain future.
Effective operational practices provide for the College’s long-term future in Singapore.
AREAS OF FOCUS
UWCSEA
STRATEGY
OUR STRENGTH
AND CAPACITY
PEACE AND
A SUSTAINABLE
FUTURE
A UNITED
COMMUNITY
EDUCATION
AS A FORCE
17 | UWCSEA Annual Report 2021/2022
Education as a Force
At UWCSEA, we educate
our students to impact on
individuals and society in
accordance with the UWC
mission. Through a holistic
Learning Programme,
students develop the skills and qualities (which meld
to form the UWCSEA Learner Profile) to fulfil their
potential and become life-long learners and ethical
agents for change.
We understand educational excellence to be
manifested by student learning across all five elements
of our Learning Programme. This spirit of excellence,
balanced with a serious commitment to wellbeing, will
help inspire our community to rich experiences and
high achievement.
Our innovation will align with our values. We will take
scalable, safe-to-fail approaches to probe and test the
boundaries of our strategies and practices.
Within the contexts of Singapore and our Learning
Programme, we will seek to be inclusive and diverse,
in accordance with our definitions of these concepts,
and we will recognise the importance of intercultural
competence.
Key developments during 2021/2022 school year:
Strategy E1: Extending Excellence
• Teaching and Leadership Standards adopted across
the College
• convened global UWCSEA Forum: Learning to Shape
the Future in April 2022
• Harvard UWC Impact study results published July 2022
Strategy E2: Deliberate Innovation
• Innovation Incubator projects accelerated several
teaching and learning initiatives across both campuses
• development and delivery of Singapore-focused
Outdoor Education programmes
Strategy E3: Diversity and Inclusion
• decolonising curriculum review completed and
teaching for DEI roadmap established
• adoption of Intercultural Development Tool (IDI)
including training for key staff to support College-
wide implementation and staff workshop by Dr.
Eeqbal Hassim
• two-year DEI Project concluded with structure to
support ongoing work established for August 2022
including a College Senior DEI Lead and campus-
based teams of Designated DEI Leads
Peace and a
Sustainable Future
Our community is
strengthened by diversity and
united in common purpose.
On local, national and global
platforms, we will seek to
engage with and impact positively on individuals and
communities who hold similar, disparate and diverse ideas.
All members of our community should understand Peace
to include concepts such as justice, equality and human
rights and to be more than the absence of conflict.
Our Learning Programme will help seed and nurture
these concepts. We aspire to promote Peace in all of its
contexts—for the individual, our communities and our
global societies. We will embed structures to support
learning for Peace and its systematic implementation
across the College, and develop meaningful links with like-
minded organisations that are in pursuit of the same goals.
Sustainability as a systemic response means aligning
ourselves to the UN Sustainable Development Goals to
end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity
for all within the means of nature. We will engage
with these challenges by deepening our intellectual
and moral capacities, and building our collective
wisdom. We will develop our curriculum to ensure that
sustainability is woven into all five elements of our
learning programme from K–12. We will also develop
our community’s capability in systems thinking.
Key developments during 2021/2022 school year:
Strategy P1: Working for Peace
• finalised mapping of Peace Education across the College
• College research project to understand our K–12
student conceptions of peace
• year-long partnership with the Asia Peace Programme
at NUS
Strategy P2: Sustainability as a Systemic Response
• launch of framework for planning overseas trips
which includes assessment of sustainability measures
as part of feasibility planning
• marine conservation learning initiatives extended on
both campuses
• partnered with the Public Utility Board on framework
for sustainable water systems
• campus operations data dashboard projects
• ecological goals promoting student engagement and
reducing our carbon footprint have been recognised
by NParks; East Campus awarded the Community in
Bloom - Diamond Category Award
EDUCATION
AS A FORCE
PEACE AND
A SUSTAINABLE
FUTURE
18 | UWCSEA Annual Report 2021/2022
A United Community
A strong College community,
based on shared values, is
fundamental to our success.
Our community members
will demonstrate respectful
attention to diverse needs
and perspectives, and compassionate engagement
with others.
We seek to promote the educational significance of
UWC residential life and will seek to harmonise the
best of the day and residential experiences. We will
strengthen relationships with one another, between
campuses and with those outside our immediate
community of students, staff and parents. We will
build strategic relationships that extend our reach and
deepen our impact. We will intensify the focus of the
UWCSEA Foundation, enhance Alumni engagement,
and continue to dedicate an agreed percentage of our
annual turnover to scholarships.
Our fundamental responsibility to our community
members is to keep them safe, well and secure at all
times and in all situations. We will continue to develop
robust safeguarding practices, and empower our
community to identify and respond to safeguarding
situations. We will implement policies, practices and
programmes to support staff and student wellness and
safeguard everyone in our community.
Key developments during 2021/2022 school year:
Strategy C1: Strengthening our Community
• delivery of an extensive community focused year-
long 50th anniversary celebrations
• implementation of Classlist, a parent-to-parent
communications tool on Dover Campus
• rollout of new strategy for alumni engagement
Strategy C2: Keeping People Safe and Well
• Wellbeing Working Group with broad staff
representation established to review existing
practices and needs
• Suicide Prevention Training implemented across
the College
• mental health benefit under medical policy has been
further improved for all staff
Our Strength and
Capacity
UWCSEA puts people, not
systems, first. Our plan for
sustainable growth will be
transparent and support
our community, while
reflecting and responding to current realities and future
possibilities. We will guarantee the financial security
of the College while balancing present and future
educational, environmental and organisational needs.
In order to retain education as our focus, we recognise
the necessity of humane, sustainable and effective
systems.
We will develop operational systems that set a positive,
data-informed culture around rigorous practices,
adhering to all external regulatory requirements.
In adapting to any changes, we will support our
community and protect the College’s ethos and values.
We will establish decision-making processes and
leadership structures that enhance operational
effectiveness while retaining flexibility to adapt to
changing circumstances.
Key developments during 2021/2022 school year:
Strategy S1: Ensuring Long-term Financial
Sustainability
• implementation of a rejuvenated investment strategy
• planning for long-term capex spend
Strategy S2: Embedding Effective Systems
• identification of new enquiry, application and
onboarding management system
• scoping and pre-implementation for new budgeting
system to support efficiencies
• Data Governance Working Group formed with
updated Data Privacy and Protection policy
• Dover Campus successfully completed CIS/WASC
reaccreditation
Strategy S3: Establishing Effective Decision-Making
Structures
• new structures (CLT, LLT, OLT, COO and DEER)
and increasingly aligned roles such as Directors of
Teaching and Learning
• Learning Systems structures are in place
• campus level ELT and DLT role and responsibilities
have been further defined, and (for example)
Facilities, E-safety and Professional Learning
Committees are now aligned cross-campus
A UNITED
COMMUNITY
OUR STRENGTH
AND CAPACITY