DUBAI - International Baccalaureate (IB) has grown rapidly and gained a lot of acceptance among parents, students and schools in the UAE, says an IB expert.
Geneva-based Nelida Antuna Baragano, Authorisation and Evaluation Director for IB, who is in the country to evaluate international schools that are undergoing the IB authorisation process, told Khaleej Times that there was an explosion of interest in quality education in the UAE and parents are looking for good options for their children.
She said, “There is a 50 per cent growth annually across the world in IB. However, in the last three years, schools in the UAE alone have displayed a keen interest to adopt the IB programme.”
While nine schools are presently offering the programme in the UAE, six others are preparing themselves for the process for authorisation. Baragano says that IB has the ability to respond to the requirement of every student.
“For a student outside his or her country, IB offers the option to learn their own language and their own culture,” she added. However, she concedes that language is a barrier for the growth of IB in the UAE and the Arab world and is the reason why only private schools can teach it. “IB can be taught presently in three languages - Spanish, English and French. Arabic is offered as a subject, but is not a medium of instruction like the other three,” Baragano pointed out, adding “the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) is conscious of these barriers and is trying to start a project with Arabic as the medium of instruction. We need teachers and training takes time. We are in negotiation with a sponsor to start the project.”
Page last updated 01 January 2020