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IB Asia Pacific Newsletter

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IB Asia Pacific Newsletter

Quarter Three, 2006

Australasia

Congratulations on the recent additions of IB authorized schools in Australia. This list can be found under ‘Authorized Schools’.

IBAPAUS Data for your information and interest

There are currently ninety-eight programmes in Australasia with three schools awaiting their notifications after authorisation visits in July. There were forty-four programmes in 2001.

In South Australia there are fifty-six schools offering IB Programmes. These are made up of seven Diploma, thirteen Middle Years and twelve Primary Years as well as MYP partner schools. There are currently twenty-seven Candidate schools and twenty-three authorised programmes in Victoria.

Australia is now the third largest country in the world for IB schools, some with multiple programmes.

Diploma Programme registrations in 2006 are 1268,  a 10.26% increase on 2005. Projections for 2007 suggest 1510 registrations, up 19.08% on 2006. Pleasingly there will potentially be 237 bilingual Diplomas in 2006.

AAIBS Conference/IB Asia-Pacific Workshops Somerset College

Somerset College, and Michael Brohier in particular, is to be congratulated on hosting a highly successful AAIBS Conference and fifteen IB Asia-Pacific Workshops. The quality and diversity of the speakers at the Conference was outstanding and those present were constantly stimulated, challenged and entertained by the sessions. It was disappointing that there weren’t more schools represented and hopefully those that weren’t will take advantage of the papers which will be available on the Somerset website. Next year the AAIBS Conference will be hosted on 8 and 9 July by Narrabundah College which will also be celebrating the 25th Anniversary of their first Diploma Graduates. 

The IB Asia-Pacific Workshops were attended by three hundred and fifty people, seventy-two of whom travelled from overseas.  The new MYP Workshop led by Associate MYP Manager Patrick Ritter on intercultural awareness was well-attended and the feedback from this workshop and from the others was very positive. We were also most fortunate to have the three IB Asia-Pacific PYP Managers, Andrea Muller, Tania Lattanzio and Jo Leatham lead the Workshops.

The networking that took place was again a strong feature of the five days and IB Asia-Pacific Australasia was fortunate to have Deputy Director General Ian Hill and IB Asia-Pacific Regional Director Judith Guy present. Many people took opportunities to meet Ian and Judith and discuss a range of issues with them.

Universities forums

An updated 2006 University Guide will inform and support a proposed series of Universities forums in major Australasian cites, which will allow IB, schools and universities, to meet, engage in dialogue, and answer queries re university recognition of the Diploma and the admissions process. The forums will consist of an information session for University stakeholders, followed by Subject group-based breakout sessions allowing for discussions between schools and universities, and the answering of specific queries. Diploma Schools in NSW and ACT will receive information shortly about the first of these Forums to be held.

If you or your school careers officer would like a copy of the 2006 University Guide, please  contact Lucinda on ibapausreception@ibo.org

Recommended Reading - Dr Ian Hill: Do IB programs Internationalise or Globalise?

For those wishing to read a recent journal article by Deputy Director General Dr Ian Hill  we would recommend accessing  The International Education Journal  where Dr Hill engages in the ongoing debate as to the meaning of international education and how this is incorporated into the programs offered by the IB. This article raises fundamental issues as to the nature of holistic and transdisciplinary education, and addresses some of the criticism leveled against IB programs especially their relationship with local cultures and national educational systems. The article makes fascinating reading and gives an in depth analysis of IB philosophies and their application in schools around the world.  

Interested schools can contact ibapausreception@ibo.org to request an electronic copy of the article or go online to http://iej.cjb.net

Education Queensland’s new IB Diploma Academies

Authorisation team visits to the newly developed Brisbane-based Mathematics, Science and Technology Academy and the Creative Industries Academy took place on 17 and 18 July. These two Academies, which are being developed by the Queensland Department of Education, will offer, when fully operational, the full Diploma programme to 300 students in each Academy. The students, who are currently engaged in a selection process, will have the opportunity to work closely with the University of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology in the completion of their Diploma Programmes. The two Universities involved are currently reviewing their IB Diploma recognition policies in light of the new ‘partnerships’. Over the next six months Education Queensland will be selecting and training staff for the two Academies which will commence teaching the Diploma in 2007 if they are successful in their authorization.

Sports and Exercise Science Pilot

Latest information about the newly developed Sports and Exercise Science course (Group 4) is that the pilot will commence in 2007 for Northern Hemisphere schools and at the beginning of 2008 for schools in the Southern Hemisphere. We have been very fortunate to have four schools in Australasia selected to participate in the pilot. These schools have been notified and I thank them for their willingness to participate and contribute to the pilot. We will keep other interested schools notified about the development of the course and when it will be opened up for other schools.

New Zealand

There are currently six authorized IB programmes in New Zealand Schools so it is interesting to note that there are currently fifteen Candidate and Interested schools. Hopefully these schools, and others  from across IBAP, will be taking advantage of the Workshops being held at Kristin School  30 September  – 2 October 2006. If you have not registered. please do so as soon as possible as many places are filling up.

 

Greg Valentine, Regional Representative Australasia

Lucinda Petroeschevsky-Mayer, Personal Assistant

Email: ibapausreception@ibo.org