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Mauritius: The International Baccalaureate an Excellent Preparation for University Life
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L'Express (Port Louis)
22 January 2008
Posted to the web 23 January 2008
Pauline Etienne
Port Louis
Results for International Baccalaureate (IB) examinations are out. Le Bocage is really satisfied with the results produced by its students. "The class of 2007 achieved an overall pass rate of 85% which means that 68 students have been awarded their full IB diploma. This is the sixth consecutive year that the school has seen an improvement in its IB diploma pass rate," comments the headmaster of Le Bocage International School, David Muddle. Le Bocage remains the only school providing its students with this exam until Northfields International School starts the programme next September.
The IB programme is different from the one leading to the Higher School Certificate (HSC) exams. It is an integrated two-year curriculum "which is holistic in its design and internationally aware in its intent," according to David Muddle. All students are examined in six academic subjects as well as three compulsory core requirements.
All students are expected to successfully complete a critical thinking course - Theory of Knowledge; a 4,000 word piece of original research - the Extended Essay; and a 150-hour commitment to community service - Creativity, Action and Service.
In fact, these three additional compulsory subjects are the characteristics that make IB so different from the HSC. The end of secondary school diploma is not only about assessing students' academic skills and performances but also a way of opening them up to real life and preparing them for university life. This is also what the director of the Mauritius Examinations Syndicate (MES), Lucien Finette, thinks: "My personal opinion is that a pupil can be prepared to answer specific questions in the HSC while the IB forces the child to reflect alone and use the knowledge he/she has acquired in all subjects for the extended essay, for instance."
This may be the reason why IB is recognised by all international universities. For David Muddle, IB is "the best possible preparation for post-secondary studies. In fact, many universities, particularly in the US, give students extra recognition for the breadth and depth of their studies to attract the very best to their degree courses".
World-wide trend
This year - as in previous ones - a very large number of students were awarded a bilingual diploma at Le Bocage. The headmaster thinks this is due to the school's "reputation for expertise and success in Business & Management, Economics and in Modern Languages". It is a fact that bilingualism is prized by university admission officers.
But, at a more general level, David Muddle feels that it is the 'full package' of the IB experience that truly benefits students. "It is not just the academic rigour of the Diploma that gives it such merit, it is also the wider emphasis placed on critical thinking skills, independence of mind, life-long learning and international-mindedness. The experience of our students in the IB classroom breathes life into the mission of our school which is to provide an Education for Citizens of a Better World. It makes them better human beings."
This is probably why the school is getting "an increasing number of enquiries from parents who wish their sons or daughters to complete their secondary school years and to prepare for university studies by availing themselves of the 'international' experience that the IB Diploma offers. This is the trend around the world as this programme continues to grow".
Moreover, the second best-placed student for the year with her 39 points, Priyanka Punjabi, is a case in point as she entered Le Bocage at the start of Form VI for this reason.
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The best achiever this year is Shakti Sanspeur, who achieved the top score of 41 points followed by Priyanka, Sze Wing Wong and Bishan Ramdenee. They aand their friends will soon be entering tertiary institutions here in Mauritius or, as has largely been the case in the past, in the UK, the US, Australia, South Africa, France, etc. They are quite confident that their IB will open them most, if not all, of the doors.
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