Every parent wants to give the best education to their children. Aside from the national curriculum available in Singapore, parents can also enrol their child in an IB Programme (International Baccalaureate Programme).
The IB curriculum is becoming increasingly popular with schools, especially international schools in Singapore. Students and parents like it for its well-rounded and holistic approach that delivers the maximum benefit for the Singapore primary school fees you pay in Singapore.
The IB Programme
The International Baccalaureate (IB) is renowned for its high academic standards and mission to develop global citizens of the 21st century. The curriculum of the IB program places great emphasis on cultivating creativity and imagination.
The three primary different levels of programs offered by IB schools in Singapore are the IB Primary Years Programme for students aged from Grades 1-5, IB Middle Years Programme for students from Grades 6-8, IGCSE or CBSE for Grades 9-10 and last but not least, the IB Diploma Programme (IBDP) for students from Grades 11-12.
Benefits of the IB Programme
International Baccalaureate (IB) Schools students get an outstanding education in international kindergarten or while pursuing an international baccalaureate diploma.
Here are some benefits of enrolling in the IB Programme:
Learning How to Learn
Mentors mould IB students to learn in a certain way. Learning how to learn allows students to pursue and persist in learning. It also introduces them to organise their knowledge by effectively managing time and information in a group and an individual setting.
When armed with this competence, identifying opportunities and overcoming obstacles to pursue successful learning becomes more straightforward. This learning process also encourages its learners to process and apply knowledge, ultimately developing a sense of positivity toward gaining new knowledge.
Being Multilingual
Multilingualism is beneficial in social and business contexts and aids in personal growth and development. In certain Indian schools in Singapore, students must take up an additional language apart from their Mother Tongue as the IB program positions multilingualism as an essential factor in developing international mindfulness while emphasising students’ creative and confident expression in more than one language.
Through the IB program, students learn to celebrate linguistic diversity and stay equipped to see the world from different perspectives. Overall, this enhances students’ ability to communicate better in today’s global economy.
Improving their Performance
Students in the IB program are known to develop strong academic, social, and emotional characteristics. Their inquisitive nature and persistence in gaining knowledge and the rigorous curriculum under the IB program prepare students for the demands of college and university life. It also makes it easy for them to balance their time for higher success.
But fret not, as there are affordable international schools in Singapore, most of them located in the Central district. There are also campuses in the various neighbourhoods in the North, East, and West of Singapore. For cost-conscious parents, location is vital as they can save on transport fees.
Even though more affordable international schools have smaller campuses and do not boast Olympic-size facilities, individual students get more attention and focus because of smaller classroom sizes. Smaller classrooms limit the number of students per class. Teachers also get to focus on each student and fulfil their needs better.
In addition to campus facilities, some of the top international schools in Singapore offer university counselling services. University counselling is a necessary process that schools provide to better guide students on their education and future career paths.
The IB program is well-known for being challenging. Students must balance and explore six subjects while consistently producing high-standard work. Even though it is difficult, the IB program is highly structured, making the curriculum doable with achievable results.
