By Wendy Anders

The International Baccalaureate (IB) high school diploma offers students an internationally recognized, high quality education, that is a global gold standard of education, said a report on the program in Costa Rica’s EKA business magazine.

Students at one of 26 public and private IB high schools in Costa Rica can apply to universities all over the world after graduating, and may have advantages when it comes to receiving scholarships, said EKA.

The IB “is based on developing skills and abilities, inside and outside the classroom, that allow students to build a more humane and peaceful world,” said to Elenilzon Arroyo to EKA. Arroyo directs Asobitico, which works with the Ministry of Eduction to promote the implementation of the IB program in high schools throughout the country.

The IB program is recognized by the Ministry of Education for its academic excellence, thus students need only take two national exams to graduate (civics and social studies), said EKA.

Students in IB programs are evaluated both internally through research and practical projects, and externally through final exams that are sent abroad to be graded by IB evaluators.

Schools wishing to implement the program undergo a three year transition period to create policies, outline curriculum, improve infrastructure, and integrate the program into their broader school communith, said Arroyo to EKA.

According to Saint Gregory School director, Víctor Román, “Students who pass through the IB program can be readily identified as they use a more critical, more reflexive language. They are students who feel more confident and more assertive in their own knowledge.

“The goal of IB is to train human beings committed to their community, aware of their global surroundings, with a solid academic background, and who are doing concrete projects, in a permanent way to support other people,” according to the Asobitico website.

Private schools that offer IB in Costa Rica are the Lincoln School, the British School, the European School, United World College, Blue Valley School, La Paz Community School, Teocali Academy, New Generation College, Saint Mary School, James Weizman Institute, Panamerican School, Iribó, Yorkín, and Light House School.

Another more than a dozen public high schools in different parts of the country also offer the desirable program, according to the Asobitico website.