It is early after noon and the class pull out their textbooks for history; flipping through the pages to find the section on the Puritans and the Salem Witch Trials. Outside, as the children discuss the darkening mood in 17th century Massachusetts, the midday heat is giving way to a tropical storm. This classroom is neither in the U.S. nor Europe, it’s in an international school in Malaysia, with mixture of nationalities, and a third of them being local Malaysians.

More than 70 percent of the world’s 3.5 million children attending international schools are actually local; in Malaysia,over 74,000 Malaysian children are now attending international schools as compared to 33,688 five years ago, which is largely attributed to government’s 777.8 million ringgit ($183.2 million) funding for 2013-2015 to upgrade and build international schools.

For most parents, choosing international schools is about giving their children the best chance of success in an increasingly competitive world. International schools offer children the opportunity to become outstanding speakers of English and develop several skills from confidence in public speaking, to the ability to live in different environments with people of diverse backgrounds.

Furthermore, a very important benefit such environment offers is that children are nurtured into being global citizens. Parents

recognize all of the benefits to choosing an international school but there are also down sides, whether from the potential impact on a child’s sense of identity or how they are seen by those beyond the international school network.

Local students in an international school often come from families that have some form of international background. They also include those who recognise the value of an education that will enable their children to communicate effectively in English. While some are undoubtedly well off, there are also middle-class parents prepared to invest to get their children into the best international school they can afford.

With globally minded understanding of culture, the flexibility these young people learned during their school years is what is helping them carve out a niche for themselves back home

International students in an international school tend to identify with people rather than places and have a fluid concept of 'home', but they are also more likely to be confident, resilient and able to cope in a variety of situations. On the other hand, they can feel rootless and suffer the grief of a constant cycle of change.

Recognising how these different children cope with change and a sense of disconnect with their own identity and culture is crucial for the world’s growing number of international schools.

A crucial part to coping is making sure children learn to deal with the cycle of change as fellow students come and go. While Internet-powered technologies have given people ways to stay in touch, saying goodbye remains a bittersweet experience. For the local students, however, getting a place at an overseas university remains central to their decision to attend an international school, and one for which they are willing to endure the heartache of lost friends and the challenge of being 'different'.

Even after years of international education, many young Malaysians retain a strong connection to the country with a powerful sense of national identity. With globally minded understanding of culture, the flexibility these young people learned during their school years is what is helping them carve out a niche for themselves back home, a place which forever remains in their hearts.