Five years ago there was one IB World School in Pakistan. There are now 11 schools offering an IB programme and interest has swelled in 2015 with 17 schools applying for candidacy from across the country, from Karachi to Islamabad.
Their interest is in the Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programmes and universities across the country have strong recognition policies based on national recommendation from national bodies.
In August, The International News took a look at TNS Beaconhouse in Lahore, one of a group of Beaconhouse schools offering IB programmes. The article reports that this newly established school was “inspired by experiential and project-based teaching and learning systems which are at the heart of Reggio Emilia Approach and the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme.” The article stated, “Gone are the days when everybody wanted to be a doctor or an engineer. There are many more options now with the world compressing so fast, and with new professions coming up every day, and we need to align our students in Pakistan with students graduating from rest of the world.”
In another article published in the Pakistan section of The Express Tribune, Fatima Rizvi, a director at Global System of Integrated Studies school is quoted: “[The IB] is a breath of fresh air in the current educational scenario. It will take some time for parents and teachers to adapt, but I see a very bright future of IB in Pakistan.”
On the subject of affordability, the Express Tribute quotes a mother’s concern about the cost of the IB programme. TNS Deputy Head of School, Ayesha Kasuri, also talks about cost in The International News: “There is a myth out there that the IB is expensive. The IB is expensive, but it is expensive for the institution.” She said “We are investing so much in our teachers’ training.” She goes on to say, “When more schools do IB in Pakistan it is going to be cheaper even for the schools. In some countries even the public schools have taken on the IB system where public education is free […] who is to say this can’t happen in Pakistan?”
Emphasising the importance of the continuum of IB programmes, the CEO of Roots International School (RIS), Walid Mushtaq told The International News: “From a child’s first moments of discovery in our early year’s programs, we take a holistic approach, nurturing the cognitive, physical and emotional well-being of every child. RIS sets highest expectations and the academic depth and breadth of the IB is unparalleled.”
Ian Chambers, Regional Director IB Asia Pacific, said: “Schools in Pakistan are choosing the IB to deliver a value driven education that will open doors for Pakistani students at universities across the world.”
