The International Baccalaureate (IB) organisation was founded in Geneva, Switzerland in 1968.The IB curriculum is aimed to develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalising world.
Today, there are more than 958,000 IB students at 3,286 schools in 141 countries. IB offers three broad programmes, namely, primary years programme (for children of 3-12 years); middle years programme (for 11-16 years old); diploma programme (for 16-19 years old). Currently, there are 82 IB schools in India which charge a fee ranging from $2,000-$26,000 a year.
Overall, IB growth in India is reflective of the new economic opportunities, which are attracting back Indian diaspora and creating a wealthier middle class. This augurs well for IB schools.
Some of the leading IB schools in India include Ecole Mondiale World School, Mumbai,Mahindra United World College, Pune, Dhirubhai Ambani International School, Mumbai, and Pathways World School, Gurgaon.The investment required to set up a world class IB school can range from Rs 50 crore to Rs 60 crore.