Families from all over the world live and work in Singapore, and many of them choose to send their children to international schools that offer the IB Programme. Now, there’s no shortage of good schools in Singapore. In fact, the city-state has what...
Families from all over the world live and work in Singapore, and many of them choose to send their children to international schools that offer the IB Programme. Now, there’s no shortage of good schools in Singapore. In fact, the city-state has what many international organizations have deemed to be one of the most successful education systems in the world. As the country’s highly skilled workforce proves, plenty of academic institutions in the Lion City can support the growth and development of productive and future-ready citizens and residents.
However, expatriate families have unique needs of their own. Many of them find that enrolling their children in IB schools in Singapore can help them acquire internationally focused education and equip them with the practical skills they need to adjust well to their family’s ever-changing lifestyle. What makes the IB Programme a suitable choice for international students and their families? Here are a few of the things that set this academic program apart from others.
The IB Programme refers to a continuum of 4 academic programs. These are the Primary Years Programme (PYP) for learners aged 3 to 12, the Middle Years Programme (MYP) for students between 11 and 16 years old, the Diploma Programme (IBDP) for students from 16 to 19 years old, and the Career-related Programme. The IBDP might be the most well-known of these component programs, but students of all ages can start learning under the IB Programme by enrolling in the PYP and MYP.
While IB schools are located in different countries around the world, it should be noted that the IB curriculum is developed independently of government and national systems. It is designed to approach subject matters with local and global contexts in mind and incorporates teaching methods and instructions from an international community of academic institutions. This means that students who are enrolled in the IB Programme will be able to find similarities in the academic practices of IB schools in different locations. If any IB student needs to change to another IB school in another country in the future, they won’t have a hard time catching up with their peers and adjusting to their new learning environment.
Singapore is a cosmopolitan city that hosts 1.47 million non-residents and 0.49 million permanent residents. It’s a melting pot of different cultures and has 4 official and equal languages, which means that families who are living in the city-state are constantly interacting with people who have different values and practices.
An international school that offers the IB Programme enables students to maximize the opportunities that such an environment presents by giving them all the tools they need to appreciate their own culture and that of their classmates. Students in IB schools not only meet people with different backgrounds but also communicate with each other, work together, and share perspectives on different topics. Likewise, the families of the students also have every chance to meet other expat families and celebrate their similar experiences and different heritages. Such interactions can help these families build a sense of community even if they are away from their home country.
The IB Programme is deliberately flexible. This quality affords the schools and educators that teach the IB curriculum enough leeway to tailor the program to the unique needs of their students and to other contexts that they must consider while teaching their students.
The lack of a draconian standard complements the IB Programme instead of holds it back. In fact, according to a study conducted between 2008 and 2014, students who have earned their IB diploma are found to have higher enrollment and completion rates in their post-secondary education compared to those who have not taken the said program. It should be noted that the IB diploma is recognized by respected academic institutions around the world, and having this certificate under one’s belt gives a student a better chance of being accepted into their dream college or university.
While completing the IB Programme is an accomplishment in and of itself, simply being a part of the community of IB students also presents its own benefits. Students under the program are able to meet and make friends with people from different countries. The connections and networks that these students and their families are able to make during their years in an IB school can help them find the right professional and career opportunities in the future, no matter which country they might be based.
Finally, the IB Programme is focused on teaching students how to learn—a skill that will continue to be useful throughout their lives. More than pushing rote memorization, the program nurtures its students’ innate curiosity and love of learning and equips them with the skills they need to adapt to changing objectives, technologies, and environments. An IB learner is capable of exploring complex ideas and considering their local and global implications, applying their critical thinking skills to approach and solve problems, and working on their own and with the people around them. These capabilities, among the others that they’ve learned through the course of taking the IB Programme, will enable them to adapt to the ever-changing world, make rational and principled decisions, and continue making progress in realizing their own version of success.
The IB Programme offers quality international education to people of all backgrounds, but it does more than that. It also fosters a global community where students and their families are presented with the opportunity to widen their horizons and perspectives. This unique focus makes it a perfect match for expat families who are planning to stay in Singapore.
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