As part of the IB’s efforts to learn from and share best global practices in education in Africa, the first ever African Education Festival was organized in February 2018, in partnership with UNESCO.
The festival, whose theme was “Leading and learning in the 21st century”, enabled educators, other members of the IB community, and policy makers from across the region to share best practices and to network with key leaders in education.
Africa is home to 98 IB World Schools in 29 countries, a total of 148 authorized IB programmes, and the IB is steadily growing on the continent. The festival aims to identify and understand the key challenges facing educational leaders in Africa, to capture and share the best innovative educational solutions and practices, and to provide participants with the inspiration to develop their own ideas and knowledge.
The first ever education festival welcomed 250 delegates, with a total of 12 African countries being represented, and ten schools applied for IB candidacy as a result of the event. Following this success, the next African Education Festival is taking place on 21–22 February 2019 in Nairobi, Kenya, focusing on “Developing skills for a connected world”.
The IB is also extending this innovative approach to Europe and is organizing the first European Education Festival in Zagreb, Croatia on 4–5 April 2019, focusing on “Developing responsible and impactful learning communities”.
