IB Education in South-East Asia – Understanding IB Schools Singapore

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IB Education in South-East Asia - Understanding IB Schools Singapore

When it comes to the essentials in education that helps children understand math, science and language, Singapore has edged the top of the international leagues tables for the past decade, alongside other nations like South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong and even as far as Finland.  

What then do Singaporean teachers do in classrooms that are unique, bearing in mind that there are quite a few differences in classroom practices among other top-performing countries? What are the specific strengths of Singapore’s instructional regime that we can observe to understand the education dynamic?

Why choose IB schools in Singapore?

In essence, it lies in the idea of international IB schools Singapore. Such schools have amalgamated all the best aspects of global education across the world in their own curriculum, thus creating this concoction of the most effective educational methodologies from across the world. This has helped create students who are lifelong learners with a global mindset, ready to take on the challenges of the future.

Is it the right model for countries attempting to prepare students properly for the complex demands of 21st century knowledge economies and institutional environments more generally? Is Singapore’s teaching system adaptable to other countries? Or is its emergence so dependent on very specific institutional and cultural factors unique to the island that it is pointless to imagine that it might be used elsewhere?

So what makes IB different in terms of structure?

Here, we shall talk about the PYP programme in particular since it is the most appropriate programme of learning when it comes to secondary IB schools in Singapore. The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) is mostly for students aged 3 to 12. 

The PYP has the following impact on the students:

  • addresses students’ academic needs along with their social and emotional well-being
  • Empowers students to develop independence and to take responsibility for their own learning
  • supports students’ learning methods and helps them gain understanding of the world and to function consciously in it
  • helps students to maintain personal values as a foundation upon which an international outlook will flourish.

While the programme prepares candidates for the IB Middle Years Programme, it is not critically necessary for it, in the same way that the Middle Years Programme is not required to sit the IB Diploma. In fact, IB Continuum schools meaning the once that are IB till the final grade, are exceptions rather than the primary rule.

Secondary school fees in Singapore

 The secondary school fees in Singapore in IB schools too is different with respect to the regular secondary schools. However, this is compensated by the variety in scholarships that are available. For instance, the school GIIS or Global Indian International School in Singapore, is one such IB school that is top rated and offers a variety of scholarships for a quality IB education.

The IB is a more of a framework rather than a curriculum and is less prescriptive than other curricula systems, for example the Early Years Foundation Stage that permeates UK’s primary education. This applies to both teaching methods along with the content.

The philosophy of the PYP method is to upskill the students into “inquirers, thinkers, communicators who are well-balanced, and reflective in their general approach”.

Conclusion

These unique pedagogies in Singapore play a big role in the reputation of the country as an education hub, and can be replicated through such IB schools Singapore using proper research and strict methodological implementation.