International Schools

International Schools

An International school is loosely defined as a school that promotes international education, in an international environment, either by adopting an international curriculum such as that of the International Baccalaureate or Cambridge International Examinations, or by following a national curriculum different from that of the country the school is located in. More specifically, at a conference in Italy in 2009 the International Association of School Librarianship came up with a list criteria for describing an international school . They are as follows:

• a. Transferability of the student's education across international schools.
• b. A moving population (higher than in state schools or public schools).
• c. Multinational and multilingual student body
• d. An international curriculum.( e.g. IB - DP, MYP, PYP)
• e. International accreditation (e.g. CIS, IBO, North Eastern ASC, Weston Ass. of Schools and colleges were mentioned by the group).
• f. A transient and multinational teacher population.
• g. Non-selective student enrollment.
• h. Usually English or bilingual as the language of instruction

These schools cater mainly to students who are not nationals of the host country, such as the children of the staff of international businesses, international organizations, foreign embassies, missions, or missionary programs. Many local students attend these schools to learn the language of the international school and to obtain qualifications for employment or higher education in a foreign country. In April 2007 there were 4,179 ‘English-speaking international schools. with this number set to rise with globalisation. Already in New Delhi worldwide entries for the Cambridge IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) June 2009 examination session are up by almost 20% on the same session last year. The strong growth confirms the status of Cambridge IGCSE as the world's, and India's, most popular international curriculum for 14-16 year olds, indicating that despite the global financial crises education is still a valued investment. International Schooling allows children to become global citizens by providing a rigorous and comprehensive education with full immersion into multiple languages and cultures. In April 2007 there were 4,179 ‘English-speaking international schools’.