The International Baccalaureate® (IB) announced the opening of its new Assessment Centre in Cardiff.
Home to over 200 members of the IB’s 700 staff housed in three Global Centres, this centre is responsible for creating and managing assessment activities for the IB’s four programmes of international education.
To honour the occasion, HRH Princess Sarvath El Hassan of Jordan, a former ad personam member of the IB Council of Foundation (IB Board of Governors), officially opened the new centre on Tuesday 21 October along with IB Director General, Dr. Siva Kumari and other honoured local and worldwide guests including Assembly Member, Julie Morgan and Chair of the IB Board of Governors, Carol Bellamy.
Speaking at the event, HRH Princess Sarvath El Hassan, founder of the Amman Baccalaureate School and a pioneer of the IB philosophy as a blueprint for educational aspirations stated “The lodestar of the International Baccalaureate programme was to educate the whole person. The IB represents a creative, contemporary form of thinking. One that is increasingly attractive to schools worldwide that are looking for open minded alternatives to enrich their own scholastic programmes, to better guide and equip their pupils for the world of the future".
HRH went on to discuss the importance of the belief in the interdependence of people, and the benefits a broad based course of study can contribute to a more harmonious world.
IB Director General Dr. Siva Kumari said “We are delighted that HRH Princess Sarvath El Hassan could join us at this important event. This building completes the IB’s final move into new facilities, as we are committed to creating professional state of the art facilities, both for our staff and the IB community, who are integral collaborators in the IB’s work. This new office symbolizes that continued commitm
ent. It will continue to provide innovative assessment using sophisticated technology to ensure we deliver fair and accurate results to all IB students across the world.”
The IB has had roots in Wales for many years, with the first office opening in Cardiff in 1989 by HRH Princess Sarvath El Hassan. The new building, re-named Peterson House, is a tribute to the IB’s first Director General and one of its founders, Alec Peterson.
Chief Assessment Officer, Carolyn Adams, said “high quality, reliable and valid assessment is central to the success of the IB. In this new building, we hope to continue with significant improvements in our assessment with a renewed focus on using new technologies to transform our assessment processes”.
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