ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to open a discourse on the theme of 'pastoral care' in international schools. It explores just how possible and, indeed, how desirable it is for managers in such schools to take on board the philosophy and mechanisms of pastoral care programmes that are embedded in the specific cultural contexts of particularistic national educational systems. Following an examination of commonalities existing in the provision of pastoral care in national and international schools, the author concludes that innovators in international schools who wish to introduce pastoral care programmes must go beyond national school paradigms to give careful consideration to the differing texture of staffing concerns, to the specific needs of the clientele, to challenges posed by differing value systems, as well as to the varying cultural acceptability of such programmes. The author will argue that the provision of effective pastoral care in an international school will not only contribute to the general development of the individual student but, in terms of 'international education', will afford the opportunity for quality cross-cultural understanding and 'help to negate racist, sexist and negative attitudes [and in[ this way the educational and cultural impoverishment consequent upon the exposure only to a mono-cultural, Anglo-centric and parochial environment can be avoided' (Duncan, 1988).
