DUBAI: The Geneva-based International Baccalaureate (IB), which offers “high quality programs” of international education to a worldwide community of schools, has identified the GCC region as a key growth area for IB programs. Monique Seefried, chair of the IB board of governors, made the observation during her visit to Dubai to attend the IB governance meeting over the weekend.
The group of international education experts at the meeting included IB Director General Jeffrey Beard and Andrew Bollington, the IB’s regional director for Africa, Europe and Middle East. The IB Board and senior management meet twice annually at key locations in order to discuss the strategic direction of the IB and meet with local schools and education officials.
Currently, there are more than 663,000 IB students at 2,419 schools in 131 countries. They include students in 32 schools in the GCC region — 11 of them in the UAE, eight in Bahrain, six in Qatar, three in Saudi Arabia, and two each in Kuwait and Oman. Another 20 schools including 12 in the UAE have been designated “Candidate” status, which means they will have to pass an intensive and stringent process before becoming an “authorized” IB school.
The IB is unique in that it offers a continuum of education, consisting of three programs — the Primary Years Program (PYP), Middle Year Program (MYP) and the Diploma Program — for students aged 3 to 19. Schools that have been authorized to offer one or more programs are known as “IB World Schools.”
“In this 40th anniversary year of the IB, we are excited to be here to participate in our governance meeting. The International Baccalaureate is encouraged by the great interest shown in IB programs by schools in the GCC region, and our decision to hold this governance meeting in Dubai is to acknowledge this important fact,” Dr. Seefried, said. “The IB is proud of its long-standing reputation for high-quality education, and although we have traditionally seen growth in English-speaking countries, we are keen to develop access to IB programs in other parts of the world such as this region, which we have identified as a key growth area,” she added.
