Gyeonggi Office of Education Expands International Baccalaureate Schools from 30 to 145 Locations

Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education will expand the number of schools operating the International Baccalaureate (IB) to 145.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education has nearly quintupled the number of International Baccalaureate (IB) schools in the province from 30 last year to 145 this year.

IB is an internationally accredited school education program developed and operated by the non-profit educational foundation IBO, headquartered in Switzerland. It is an educational system that pursues learners' self-directed growth.

The stages of IB schools consist of Candidate Schools, Candidate Status Schools, and Authorized Schools (World Schools). Candidate Schools are pilot schools where the school members understand and share the IB philosophy and educational goals and strive to implement operational tasks.

Candidate Status Schools are assigned school-specific consultants from the IB headquarters and prepare for authorization by conducting pilot IB operations through continuous consulting. Authorized Schools are schools accredited by the IB headquarters and undergo reauthorization reviews every five years.

Last year, there were 29 Candidate Schools (16 elementary, 11 middle, 2 high schools) and 1 Authorized School (high school) in the Gyeonggi area. This year, the numbers increased to 125 Candidate Schools (48 elementary, 48 middle, 29 high schools) and 20 Candidate Status and Authorized Schools (11 elementary, 7 middle, 2 high schools).

The Office of Education plans to further expand IB schools through five major promotion strategies established this year. The five strategies are ▲ Expanding IB schools ▲ Spreading the spirit of IB practice ▲ Training IB experts ▲ Discovering successful IB cases ▲ Supporting schools operating IB programs.

Ha Mijin, Director of Future Education at the Office of Education, stated, "We are expanding schools operating the IB program that fosters self-directedness through deep inquiry, action, and reflection," adding, "We plan to further strengthen support for IB schools through the five major promotion strategies."