The International Baccalaureate and the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization have taken a step towards making education better all around the world. They have started working in a new partnership. The International Baccalaureate and the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization made their partnership official by signing an agreement during a visit by the International Baccalaureate Director General Olli-Pekka Heinonen to the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization headquarters in Rabat, Morocco.
Olli-Pekka Heinonen was welcomed nicely by Dr Salim M. AlMalik. This shows that the International Baccalaureate and the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization are getting closer. After the signing ceremony the two leaders had a meeting to talk about what they can do in the future. The International Baccalaureate and the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization want to work to make education better, in the countries that are part of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The International Baccalaureate and the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization are going to do this by coming up with ideas and finding ways to help each other.
Focus on Strengthening Education Systems
The signed MoU gives a clear plan for working together to make education better in ICESCO member countries. A main part of this partnership is helping governments get better at what they do. By matching education plans with IB’s well-known teaching methods the agreement wants to make education both better and more effective. The partnership also talks about having discussions with different people in the education sector.This means getting policymakers, educators and institutions to have conversations about the problems education faces today. By making a space, for sharing knowledge the partnership wants to encourage ideas and make sure education can change with what the world needs.
Supporting the Sustainable Development Goals
The main goal of the partnership between ICESCO and IB is to help achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the ones that deal with good education for everyone. Both ICESCO and IB think that education is very important for making the world a better place and for helping people.
When ICESCO and IB work together they can use ICESCOs influence in the region and IBs expertise from around the world to make education systems that’re fair and work for everyone and that will still be good, in the future. This means making sure that students can think for themselves know what is going on in the world and can use what they learn in life situations. ICESCO and IB want to make sure that students get the education they need to succeed.
Building on Previous Collaboration
This agreement is based on something that the two organisations started doing a while back. They began working during the third conference of education ministers that ICESCO had in Muscat, Oman in October 2024. At this conference the IB was asked to help write a paper, about how to make teaching in all the countries that are part of ICESCO.
The paper that the IB and ICESCO wrote is going to be used by all the countries that’re part of ICESCO but each country can do it in their own way. This means that even though all the countries are following the general plan they can still make changes to fit their own culture and schools. The paper talks about how the IB does things and how other countries can use these ideas to make their own schools better. The IB way of helping teachers get better is something that the paper says can work well in different countries. The IB and ICESCO are working together to make sure that all the countries that are part of ICESCO can use this paper to make their schools better.
Leadership Vision and Commitment
Speaking at the event Heinonen talked about the plan behind the partnership. He said that students, teachers and governments in ICESCO member countries will benefit from this collaboration. He also said that younger people should be involved in creating an education system that makes sense and is ready for the future.
Heinonen thinks that to make education better teachers need to be helped. Giving teachers the things, training and ways of teaching is important for making learning work. This focus on helping teachers is expected to be key, to the partnership being successful.
Expanding IB’s Presence Across Member States
The International Baccalaureate already has a lot of schools in countries that’re part of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. There are 981 International Baccalaureate programmes in 529 schools across 38 countries. This is a good base for the International Baccalaureate and the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to work together and help more people.
The International Baccalaureate has been working harder to be in Islamic countries since 2025. It has made friends with schools in Bahrain, Egypt and Indonesia. The International Baccalaureate wants to make the world a peaceful place by teaching kids things that are important and relevant everywhere. The International Baccalaureate is about education that is good for everyone and it wants to help people all, around the world.
A Step Toward Transformative Education
The signing of this MoU is a step forward in international education cooperation. The partnership between IB and ICESCO wants to solve education problems like access, quality and relevance by combining their strengths. IB and ICESCO are working together to make education systems that’re not only good academically but also fair and able to change with future needs.
They both care about innovation. Making a long-term difference, which will help millions of students and teachers in ICESCO member states. This partnership shows that IB and ICESCO believe education can really change things. They are working together to invest in teachers help governments and give students power, so they can create a better and fairer future, for education everywhere.