Since it was established in 1968, the International Baccalaureate Organisation (now known as International Baccalaureate) has established a global reputation as one of the world’s most respected school-leaving examination boards with 4,632 affiliated schools in 146 countries worldwide – Dilip Thakore Plans and programmes — including workshops, lectures and celebratory functions to honour and award tutors and mentors — are being drawn up in the Geneva (Switzerland) and The Hague (Netherlands) head offices, and Singapore and Washington DC regional offices of the International Baccalaureate (IB, formerly International Baccalaureate Organisation, estb. 1968), which over the past half century has established a reputation as one of the world’s most admired school-leaving (class XII) examination boards. In the year 2016 (the IB board switched to the July/June financial year), 85,708 school-leaving students in 146 countries around the world — including 3,403 in India — wrote the rigorous IB Diploma (IBD) examination in three languages (English, French, Spanish), of whom 80 percent passed and were accepted into 2,192 universities (including 1,333 in the US), which have recognised “with published policy statement” the IB Diploma as an excellent qualification for entry into undergrad study programmes. The big bang celebrations being planned around the globe to usher in the golden jubilee of this European international syllabus/curriculum formulation and examinations board established with the mission to “develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect”, are justified. Over the past five decades, through hard-grind research of best pedagogy practices worldwide, the UK and US in particular, the IB trustees and management have successfully developed an integrated and continuously evolving primary-higher secondary syllabus which has been enthusiastically embraced by knowledgeable educationists and university admission officers around the world. The number of affiliated schools — known as IB World Schools — has risen to 4,632 in 146 countries in 2016 despite this European board mandating stringent affiliation terms and conditions, including mandatory teacher training by IB professionals, and a two-year pre-affiliation school preparation programme. Little wonder that Dr. Siva Kumari, the Den Haag (The Hague), Netherlands-based first woman director-general of IB, is “satisfied beyond expectation” that this Geneva/Hague-based examination board established half a century ago with the modest aim of prescribing and providing standardised school-leaving education for the children of diplomats subject to short-notice transfers and postings, has developed into arguably the world’s most respected international school examinations board. “Fifty years ago the highly prescient founders of IB discerned the need for educating and nurturing a new generation of youth with global perspective — problem-solvers committed to world peace and cooperation. Since then due to the dedicated efforts of educationists and educators within the organisation, IB has evolved into a full-spectrum school education board providing well-designed curriculums to over 4,600 affiliated primary to higher secondary schools in 146 countries internationally. Nor is it true that the focus of IB — a non-profit foundation — is restricted to private schools as popularly believed. A large and growing…
