50 YEARS OF INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE EDUCATION A GULF NEWS SPONSORED SUPPLEMENT
SUNDAY, MARCH 4, 2018
School opened in the Asia-Pacific. “We started with one programme for 1619 year olds (the DP) and have since created four sustainable education programmes for children aged 3-19,” says Halligan. In 1994, 1997 and 2012, IB developed its offering by introducing the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and the Career-related Programme (CP).
Celebrating five decades of excellence in education Marking its 50th anniversary this year, the International Baccalaureate programme hopes to continue shaping the future through its students, says ●
Sankar Sri Pillai
n 1968 a group of innovative educators in Geneva, Switzerland re-envisioned what education should be. Their mission — of a better world through education — was revolutionary. The Diploma Programme (DP) for students aged 16-19 years was adopted by ten founding schools in Europe, the US and the Middle East that today continue to be International Baccalaureate (IB) World Schools. Offering an education for students from ages 3 to 19, IB is an international education foundation that comprises four programmes focusing on teaching
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students to think critically and independently, and how to enquire with care and logic. Supported by IB teachers and coordinators who develop and promote IB’s curriculums, the programme has grown over the years to currently include 4,786 IB World Schools, spread across 153 countries, offering close to 7,000 courses. More than half are state schools, several of which offer IB programmes and courses for free, or offer scholarships including specific ones for refugees. This year, as the IB programme celebrates 50 years of educational excellence, the mission statement created
The IB programme has grown over the years to currently include
4,786
IB World Schools, spread across
153
countries, offering close to
7,000 courses
by its founding members continues to hold resonance. “Since our inception in 1968, the IB community of schools continues to grow globally and we continue to uphold the highest educational standards,” says Jon Halligan, Head of Development, Africa, Europe and the Middle East at IB. TIMELINE IB recorded its first milestone in 1970 when the first group of students in Europe and the US sat their DP examinations. Three years later the first IB World School opened in Africa, and four years after that the first IB World
THE IB ADVANTAGE The IB programme encourages the curiosity inherent in every child, international mindedness, critical thinking and the hunger for knowledge and understanding. “Our programmes are designed so that students build a deep appreciation of how their studies fit into the wider context of our world,” says Halligan. All four programmes are committed to multilingualism and action through service, both locally and globally. Research conducted by the Higher Education Statistics Agency in the UK has also shown that IB diploma programme graduates are more likely to secure a place at a top university and have a significantly greater likelihood of earning a first-class degree compared to their non-IB peers. A recent study by IB Research also demonstrated DP graduates being better prepared than non-IB graduates in 21st century skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, global mindedness, cultural sensitivity and leadership. “IB students learn to ask the right questions, rather than only learn the right answers — they are critical thinkers and life-long learners,” says Halligan. “Our students are open-minded, balanced and risk-takers. SEE OVERLEAF