On 29 March, Peru’s President Ollanta Humala attended an event held by the Ministry of Education in the city of Huánuco, where IB certificates were awarded to members of the country’s high performing schools network (COAR), to mark the start of the school year for 13 newly authorized IB World Schools.
This brings the total to 40 IB World Schools in Peru. The minister for development and social inclusion, Paola Bustamante, also attended along with the minister for education, Jaime Saavedra, David Hawley, the IB’s Chief Academic Officer, and Natalia Tieso, IB Buenos Aires Office Manager.
The COARs teach students in 22 out of the country’s 24 regions.
At the opening ceremony, the students demonstrated their artistic skills in dance, singing, and music. Students will participate in an IB programme to strengthen and consolidate their academic skills, as a foundation for achieving academic excellence and acquiring the skills to speak English fluently as a second language. They will study on a residential basis, receiving 60 hours of classes per week, including 10 in English. The students will also receive ongoing social and emotional support, and will have access to leadership circles.
“Through education, we have made progress in life. We want to do the same for all of Peru’s boys and girls”, said President Ollanta Humala.
This is a great opportunity for students, with first-class education through the boarding school system, where they will receive food and accommodation paid for by the State. The students from the COARs were chosen in stringent selection processes conducted by Peru’s Ministry of Education, from among the country’s most outstanding public school pupils. They will now participate in the IB programmes, which will give them a holistic education encompassing personal, familial and social aspects, to help them become socially responsible citizens of the world.
The President said that through investment in education, his government was seeking to ensure Peru becomes a developed and industrialized country. So far, 13 more schools have been authorized for the IB Diploma Programme, and regional governments are also joining in this initiative.
, to mark the start of the school year for 13 newly authorized IB World Schools.){kind=icon}