International Baccalaureate looks to expand footprint in India, ropes in 100 new schools
According to information provided by IBO, there were approximately 138 IB schools across India, five years ago.
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Dhirubhai Ambani International School is one of the IB schools in Mumbai. (File photo) With an aim to expand its presence in India, the International Baccalaureate (IB) Board is tying up with different state governments, and is in the process of authorising a total of 100 new schools across the country.
The list for IB approval includes several government-run schools, including several run by the Delhi Board of School Education, Haryana School Education Board, and Mumbai Public School among others.
The board, which is generally associated with high-profile schools in India, is exploring the globally accepted pattern of public schools in the country.
“IB curriculum is offered more by public schools globally, as compared to India. But, there is a growing interest in India for the IB school pattern. We are trying to identify local context and special needs catering to the audience here,” said Olli-Pekka Heinonen, director general of IB Organisation (IBO).
Heinonen and his team members are currently in India. They attended the ‘Festival of Hope’ at Dhirubhai Ambani International School (DAIS) — where 56 schools from across India participated — in Mumbai on Wednesday.
According to IBO, there were approximately 138 IB schools across India five years ago. But, now there are 221 schools, with 100 — including government-run schools — are in the process of acquiring authorisation. Thirty Delhi Board of School Education schools already have the IB curriculum, along with a civic school in Mumbai.
During the visit, IBO has signed an MoU with the Haryana School Education Board for a teacher training programme.
On being asked whether they have similar plans with the Maharashtra government, Heinonen said that they will meet the authorities concerned and discuss possibilities.
On the expansion of IB curriculum in India, Matt Costello, chief business development officer of IBO, said, “Currently, IB schools in India offer 317 programmes on the curriculum. Whereas, 117 are now in the pipeline.”
Heinonen, meanwhile, said that there are plans to offer more vocational training-driven programmes for the Indian audience. “While the pedagogy implemented by IB has been successful, its global approach and international recognition makes it a more convenient choice for parents having aspirations to send their children abroad for higher education.”
Nicole Bien, chief schools officer at IBO, has reasoned, “The IB curriculum framework aligns with the newly launched National Education Policy
(NEP) in India, resulting in an increase in the demand to learn the IB pedagogy.”
Realising that schools in India, especially state-run ones, will require more support for executing the plan properly, Heinonen said, “As public schools are taking this step for the first time, the community is not well aware about how IB functions, wherein focus is on training teachers, to ensure an effective process for the same, and a conducive environment. One of the challenges before public schools is to find quality-teachers, and their continuous development. IBO is looking at how it can be supported.”
The board has launched IB Exchange — an interactive online platform — which creates a global network of educators, while providing them with access to different resources to support teaching through peer-learning.
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