The International Baccalaureate reaffirmed a commitment to collaborate with the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) during a conference this month.
IB Director General Olli-Pekka Heinonen presented at the 3rd Conference of ICESCO Education Ministers, hosted by ICESCO and the Omani Ministry of Education. A key outcome of the conference was the collaboration between ICESCO and the IB to co-author a joint policy paper on "Developing Teaching Quality." This significant policy paper is set to be adopted by all 53 ICESCO member states, with the flexibility for implementation based on local contexts.
During the conference, Olli-Pekka Heinonen met with H.E. Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of ICESCO, to discuss new avenues for collaboration to improve educational outcomes across the Islamic world. H.E. Dr. AlMalik extended an invitation to IB leadership to visit ICESCO’s headquarters in Rabat, Morocco, with the aim of deepening ties and exploring further opportunities.
The Director General emphasized the importance of ongoing dialogue to explore additional areas of collaboration that could positively impact education and teaching. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to working closely together to improve education across the ICESCO member states.
During his remarks to ICESCO and the participating ministers of education, the Director General said, “Asking somebody to change his or her professional identity is only possible to happen through internal motivation. You cannot tell somebody to change their professional identity without creating the conditions that teachers have to change themselves.”
Through the dialogues in Oman, the IB will continue providing support to create these conditions with leaders at ICESCO and across the Islamic World.
The IB Director General later joined Chief Education Officer Shehzad Jeeva, Global Director of Business Development Haif Bannayan, and IB Senior Manager Mary Tadros for a visit to ABA Oman International School. IB leaders toured the school, the first school Oman to offer the complete IB continuum, where Olli-Pekka met with IB school leaders and coordinators and praised the collaboration between schools.
