Some of the top schools from Singapore, China, Britain, the United States and Australia announced the establishment of a strategic alliance on Wednesday to advance the level of education and prepare the students for the future with global outlook.

The alliance will focus on three areas of cooperation such as bilingualism and biculturalism, one-to-one computing in teaching and learning, and experiential learning through staff development and student exchange programs among the ten members schools.

"Through such collaboration, the partner schools hope to strengthen their capacity to nurture engaged citizens with a global outlook for the 21st century," Singapore's Education Minister Heng Swee Keat said at a ceremony marking the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Nanyang Girls' School, which initiated the alliance.

The Strategic Alliance of Global Educators (SAGE) comprises ten members, including two other Singapore schools Hwa Chong Institution and the School of Science and Technology, Singapore.

The members also included four Chinese institutions such as the High School Affiliated to Renmin University (Xishan), the Affiliated High School of Peking University, the High School Affiliated to Fudan University and the Shanghai No. 3 Girls' School.

The other three members are the Menlo School in California, the United States; the Perse School at Cambridge, the United Kingdom; and the Scotch College in Melbourne, Australia.

Chen Weicong, vice principal of the Affiliated High School of Peking University, said the alliance has strong support among all the members, who share many of the challenges in adapting to the demand of the future.

What are being planned include a symposium on bilingualism and bicultural education, and a showcase in November of one-to-one computing in teaching and learning by the High School Affiliated to Renmin University (Xishan).

The students at the High School Affiliated to Renmin University (Xishan) use high-tech gadgets like tablet computers to have one- to-one interaction in the process of learning. Shu Dajun, principal of the school, said such practices are aimed at pushing forward the education reforms in an era of mobile and digital communications.