Michael de Waal-Montgomery

FUTIAN District, home to a growing expat community, is offering an increasing number of international schools and kindergartens that employ qualified and experienced foreign teachers.
Very little is of more importance to parents than the assurance of a quality education for their child — and the knowledge that their children are being given a great start to life right here in Futian is key for expat parents.

Many expats in Shenzhen want to ensure that their children grow up with a strong command of the

English and Chinese languages. The ample exposure to both languages and to Chinese culture in Futian will undoubtedly give them an edge as job candidates at home and abroad.

Last week, the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) cited a local mother, surnamed Xie, whose 3-year-old daughter was born in Hong Kong and thus has residency status there. Even so, Xie is one of a growing number of parents who are opting to send their children to kindergartens and schools in Futian instead. Xie's daughter attends the Belvedere Anglo Chinese Kindergarten near Futian Checkpoint.

Tellingly, more than two-thirds of students at Belvedere have Hong Kong residency status. That kind of ratio is increasingly becoming the case at Futian schools as parents take note of the quality of international teaching available locally. For many parents, a daily cross-border trip is no longer a necessary part of their child's education.

“As a result of the increasing numbers of cross-border children returning to Shenzhen for school,” the ACWF said, “more and more Hong Kong-run kindergartens have been set up in the area, including kindergartens owned by renowned private educational organizations in Hong Kong, such as the Victorian Educational Organization, Christian Little Angel Kindergarten, Deborah A/C Kindergarten, Funful Group of School/Kindergarten and more."

These kindergartens can be ideal venues for expat children, as most of them feature billingual teachers from Hong Kong.

Futian also is seeing a rising number of international schools, such as Shenzhen American International School and Green Oasis School, offering more choices for expats who want their children educated locally.

The local government has made significant efforts this year to crack down on unqualified and illegal teachers. The efforts are helping to reassure Chinese and expatriate residents of Futian and other districts that their children are being taught by qualified teachers who have the right to work in China, which boosts quality standards at local schools.

Children in Futian are gaining educational resources outside of schools, too. A recent report said a planned cluster of new museums in Antuoshan — including a national design museum, a city art museum and a city nature museum, as well as 20-30 private collection museums — will be built at a cost of 770 million yuan (US$125 million).

Local cultural attractions such as these would make great day-trips for local and expatriate students, and this is just another example of how the city, and in particular Futian District, is well on its way to catching up with international financial and cultural hubs such as Hong Kong and others.

Michael de Waal-Montgomery is a British journalism student and freelance writer who has lived and worked in Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Beijing and Guangzhou.