MIDDLE East expert Ahmed Rashid was the guest speaker at Malvern College's annual speech day last Saturday.

Author of the bestselling books Taliban and Jihad, Mr Rashid was a pupil at the school during the 1960s.

He told his audience of staff and pupils of the curiosity and imagination aroused during his four years at the college and how it had been a major benefit to his career.

Mr Rashid was introduced by the new chairman of the college council, Lord MacLaurin, also an old Malvernian, who admitted he had never received a school prize himself. Lord MacLaurin built up Tesco is now chairman of Vodafone.

Headmaster Hugh Carson warned against taking too narrow a view of education.

He said: "Such a functional view of education is incomplete and does not rest easily with the broader view of scholarship.

"There are so many things in education which have more to do with values; an understanding of self and others, the appreciation of things beautiful and good and the importance of human dignity; which must be nurtured too.

"Through giving our pupils the reference points with which to lead fulfilled lives, they become responsible citizens, with a balanced sense of self worth and responsibility."