SUHANA KUMAR looks at a map of the world, tracing her finger across the blue, green, brown of the landscape, trying to understand the link between natural resources, population and climate. Part of the eight-year-old’s Class IV curriculum at a school in Gurgaon that offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) board, she has to understand why areas around rivers, and areas with warmer climate, are more populated. With a focus on experiential learning and analytical thought, the internationally recognised IB board was launched at Geneva in 1968 with a diploma programme for class XI and XII students. The idea was to get children to study topics similar to what they would under other boards but with a focus on real-world situations. A class IV student under the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE), for example, also studies a chapter on mineral resources but very few schools will help an eight-year old draw the link between population growth and mineral resources. When IB started out, the board was focused on providing education to children of diplomats and people working in multinational companies who are transferred regularly, says Arti Gupta, principal, Amity Global School, Gurgaon, who has been associated with several IB schools for close to 30 years. But there has been a steady growth since then of parents opting for a more globally accepted approach to school education. Consider this: * According to the IB board, the number of schools that have opted for their curriculum has increased from 74 in 2011 to 138 in 2017. * According to data provided by The International General Certificate of Secondary Education or the Cambridge International Board, there were 319 affiliated schools in 2012 and 420 in 2017. “It is in the Asian markets that there is maximum scope of growth and we will see this soon. Schools, which were earlier charging an annual fee upwards of Rs 6 lakh, are not the trend anymore. You can now find IB and Cambridge board schools that will offer an international programme for less than Rs 3 lakh, attracting more parents,” says a trainer, who did not want to be named. “IB is becoming increasingly popular in India with schools in cities such as Nasik, Bhopal, Indore, Pathankot, Hosur, Chhattisgarh, Lonavala, Erode, and Meerut,” says Priyamvada Taneja, IB’s India development and recognition manager. But the real growth, says a teacher associated with IB schools, will be seen in the coming two to three years when a lot of applications for recognition will come through. A global view There are four sections within the IB —each for different standards. After the diploma programme in 1968, IB introduced the middle year programme (MYP) for classed VI to X in 1994 and the primary years programme (PYP) for students from pre-primary to Class V in 1997. The board also has a career-related programme for class XI and XII students, which was launched in 2012. “The largest growth in India is in the diploma programme. Parents mostly opt for IB when they want their children to study abroad as their chances of making it to foreign universities are very good,” says Gupta. Unlike CBSE, ICSE and other state boards, the class-size mandated by IB boards is small, usually between 20 and 25 students per class, almost double of others. Such a student-teacher ratio means more individual attention and focus on practical work, collaboration and projects. The CBSE, which was instituted in 1962, has over 18,000 affiliated schools in India. IB offers subjects on differential levels, too. For example, mathematics is offered at four levels — studies, standard, higher and extended level. Similarly, each subject has at least two levels — standard and higher. In class XI and XII, students have to pick six subjects. Of these, three have to be of higher level and three can be of a higher level. Assessments are ongoing and students are given credits instead of marks. Versus CBSE Starting with one school — Kodaikanal International School — in 1976, the real growth of IB’s reach, according to teachers, has happened since 2010. But most schools still primarily offer courses under the CBSE or ICSE board and offer IB programmes in addition. So, a student studying in an International school could either be studying the CBSE/ICSE curriculum or the IB curriculum. According to teachers and principals, the difference between a CBSE board and an international board is the way teaching is done. “CBSE is basically geared towards making you pass exams. The IB board, on the other hand, gives skills to students to become life-long learners. The contents of a subject are the same all over the world. The difference is in pedagogy and implementation of learning. In CBSE for example, there is a topic called the homes of animals at the primary level where students learn about the habitat of different animals. In IB, the discussion could start from the concept of a home.inquiry and curiosity are more,” says Madhu Bhargava, who designs academic programmes for GD Goenka Schools. But while those teaching in and running schools that offer a global curriculum appreciate the room to teach differently, they agree that CBSE has compulsions they don’t. “In India, because of the large population and associated pressures, marks get priority over learning. The national boards have to service both ends of the spectrum – the below average and the exceptional. The question papers can’t target only one group. International boards do not have that compulsion and look beyond just content-based questions,” says Aditi Misra, principal, DPS International, Gurgaon, which follows the Cambridge International curriculum. Local lessons But in the Indian context, there are downsides, too, to opting for an international syllabus. School principals agree that recruiting qualified staff is a challenge. “Getting committed teachers is a problem across board and for an IB school, it is very important to be financially sound so that the teachers and administrative staff can attend the requisite number of training sessions and workshops. The IB demands that the staff be of a certain qualification,” said Manika Sharma, director, The Shri Ram School. IB’s Taneja says “all schools have to commit to ongoing IB professional development to run the programmes”. “We offer both face-to-face and online professional development throughout the year, all over the world. Alongside these workshops, the IB provides online seminars that develop expertise by providing brief, specific snapshots of different aspects of IB programmes,” says Taneja. Then, there’s the question of college admissions in India. In Delhi University, for instance, students who have opted under the IB Board find it tough to secure admission. In 2015, of almost 3 lakh applications that Delhi University received, less than 1,000 came from IB Board students. “The final results of the IB board are declared in August-September. Admissions begin in June, and IB students are given indicative grades for these which have to be converted into marks using an equivalence formula. It is up to the colleges to either take them in or reject their applications,” says an official in the students’ welfare office at Delhi University.
