Dear IB community,

The disruptions we have faced over the past three years have challenged our understanding of reality and humanity. Raised questions about our future. But most of all these disruptions have revealed what many of us already knew—that our community turns every challenge into an opportunity for growth, with the hope that our future generations will bring the change we need to see to the world.

The education community has been rocked by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, global conflicts, natural disasters and local crises. Despite this we know that our IB community is resilient in the face of hardship, embraces innovation and inspires hope in young people, who have taken action locally and globally. We have also seen that our community of schools, teachers and students continues to grow – there are now 7,530 programmes being offered worldwide, across 5,548 schools in 160 countries.

As educators, we are discovering that advanced interdisciplinary competencies are required to cope with the uncertainties of our rapidly changing world. Education systems tend to be naturally biased towards cognitive skills, but it is becoming clear that students will need much more than that to become the agents of change the world so desperately needs.

At the IB, we endeavour to help schools navigate ever-changing, unforeseen circumstances as they support their students to develop into inquiring, knowledgeable young people and empower them to create the better and more peaceful world we all strive for. The bigger the challenge, the better the opportunity to live true to the IB mission.

We look at our history, not to move backwards or stagnate, but to value our heritage and be even more IB in the future. And the faster the change around us, the more possibilities there are to utilize the innovative power of the IB community.

In 2022, we worked with Oxford University to publish a foundational framework on well-being in childhood and adolescence and our learning and teaching experts designed resources to support educators and school leaders in implementing well-being strategies and action plans within their schools. With strategies and action plans in place, schools can focus on nurturing their students’ diverse talents and strengths, while supporting them to build their resilience to help them cope with stress and overcome adversity.

Our priorities as we respond to the ongoing and emerging challenges have developed as we worked on our strategy this year. By 2030 the IB will be more open, more progressive and more forward-thinking. We will evolve our educational programmes, grow the number of young people benefiting from an IB education and improve our services to support the capabilities of our community.

Reference link: https://www.ibo.org/about-the-ib/facts-and-figures/ib-annual-review/annual-letter-to-the-ib-community-2022/