The annual Schools’ Day has been organised jointly by the Royal Society for Asian Affairs (RSAA) and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) for more than twenty years. It is a free event, and open to year 12 and 13 students.

The aim of these meetings is to introduce students to concepts and subjects they may not have previously explored as part of their curriculum and, we hope, to inspire them to take a closer interest in Asia.

There is a vast amount happening in Asia and press and television coverage can be patchy and superficial. We endeavour to pick hot subjects as well as more educational ones.

The programme consists of multiple, varied presentations with time for discussion after each. The speakers are all experts in their fields and ones that 6th Form students are unlikely to have had the opportunity to hear.

Generally speakers give a brief background to their subject but the level of their talks is school leaver to university in nature, treating those present as young adults rather than as school children.

Students also have the opportunity to try an Asian language in an introductory class led by lecturers from SOAS, typically Arabic, Hindi or Mandarin.