In early June, it is expected to become clear which of the 13 public schools will receive certification to operate an International Baccalaureate (IB) program by September 2026.
As early as May, schools that have submitted a dossier will receive a first update on the progress of their assessment. According to an official at the Education Policy Institute, there will be an initial recommendation, positive or not, before on-site and digital visits follow.
The vetting process is considered critical. The IB organisation examines in detail whether all criteria are met. From equipment to the readiness of teaching materials for the new year.
The characteristics of the candidate schools
Of the 13 schools:
- 7 are Standards
- 4 are Musical
- 1 Artistic
- 1 Experimental
The choice is not random. One of the IB’s six core modules is about the arts, such as theatre and music. This is why emphasis was placed on schools with a similar orientation.
In terms of geography:
- 8 schools are located in Attica
- 3 in Thessaloniki
- 1 in Volos
- 1 in Heraklion
Objective, if the project goes ahead, is to have at least one IB school in every prefecture in the future.
Education Minister, Sofia Zacharaki, has stressed that inclusion in IB is “an important step towards an even more outward-looking, modern and high-quality public education system”.
At the same time, she has clarified that there is no change in the admission system to Greek universities: access is only through the Panelladic Examinations.
The 13 candidate schools
Attica
- Music School of Athens
- Geraka Art School
- Pallini Music School
- Model High School Anavryta
- Model High School Ag. Anargyroi
- Template GSL Varvakiou
- Template GEL Evangelical School of Smyrna
- Template GEL Ionidion
Thessaloniki
- 1o Standard High School of Thessaloniki “Manolis Andronikos”
- Piramal Lyceum of the University of Macedonia
- Music School of Thessaloniki
Volos
- Volos Music School
- Template Heraklion High School
Heraklion
What does “IB school” mean
The president of IBSIGA, Zoe Neighbour, describes the benefits: “They will become members of a global network of schools, which may be very different from each other, but which have some common elements: External evaluation of the implementation of the programme, systematic teacher training, guidance from the International Baccalaureate Organisation and access to a global community of teachers to share good practices and teaching tools based on the learner-centred approach. For the IB DP in particular, there is also a specific curriculum.
She points out that the implementation of IB can bring a new culture within the school and strengthen collaboration between teachers.
For students, the International Baccalaureate offers important skills: “a globally recognised and competitive diploma”.
As he points out: “Skills such as interdisciplinary understanding, critical and synthetic thinking, together with student activation through community service and action at local and global level are key objectives of the programme. We all recognise how important these skills are to a successful next step for a young person, whatever that may be.”
He concludes by noting that IB opens up new options for public school students: “Expanding the choice of curricula or types of schools in a country enhances healthy competition between them and therefore also enhances quality.”
At the same time, he points out that those considering studying abroad should carefully consider the cost, as in some cases it is comparable to attending school in another city in Greece.
.
