International Baccalaureate announces a student innovators’ grant for Middle Years Programme students at IB Global Conference

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the International Baccalaureate’s (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP), the IB announced a student innovators’ grant for MYP students, which will create an opportunity for students to build the skills they need to become the socially conscious leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs the world demands today.

The announcement was made within the opening ceremony at the IB’s Global Conference, the IB’s largest annual gathering of educators and innovators in the Africa, Europe and Middle East (AEM) region, being held for the first time in the Middle East, in the United Arab Emirates.

In the opening remarks, Dr Siva Kumari, the IB’s Director General said: “Following the IB’s celebrations of its 50th anniversary in 2018, we are delighted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of our Middle Years Programme in 2019. The IB believes that young people can positively change the world through their ideas and actions, which is why we are launching a grant for our innovators of tomorrow so that they have the tools they need to respond to global, national and local challenges thoughtfully and optimistically.”

Applications for the grant open in 2020, and for all students ready to apply, information can be found here: https://ibo.org/programmes/middle-years-programme/...

The MYP, one of four of the IB’s programmes, is designed for students aged 11–16 years old and, since its inception, has seen more than 1,200 IB World Schools in 108 countries across AEM, Asia Pacific, and Americas adopting the programme.

The programme is designed to encourage creativity, critical thinking and open-mindedness, through a framework of teaching and learning that emphasises intellectual challenge. A particular highlight of the MYP’s success over the years is the introduction of its award-winning eAssessment, which is designed to improve the fairness of assessment and better support high-quality teaching and learning of the MYP.

Dr Kumari said: “As an organization, we are continuously aiming to review and adapt our programmes, and operations, so that they offer the most relevant education possible in a modern and ever-changing world. The eAssessment perfectly encapsulates this aim, and is a one of a kind assessment that matches the skills needed in today’s world.”

The eAssessment utilises innovative on-screen examinations to allow for wider breadth and depth to be demonstrated by students; its rich multimedia interface encourages engagement through a medium native to the modern day, digital lives of young people. In 2019, more than 77,800 MYP students from 819 IB World Schools in 98 countries completed and received their eAssessment results; representing an 8% increase on last year’s figures, in which 775 schools participated.