Kimje, Jeollabuk-do – Jiphyungseon High School, a specialized alternative school, has been approved by the International Baccalaureate (IB) as a candidate school for the Diploma Programme (DP), making it the first high school in the province to achieve this status.

The Jeollabuk-do Office of Education announced that Jiphyungseon High School had been granted candidate school status by the IB. The IB DP is a two-year pre-university program designed to develop students’ critical thinking, research skills, and international perspective. Established in 1968 by the non-profit International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), the program is currently offered in over 5,500 schools across 160 countries.

Jiphyungseon High School has been fostering a learning environment that respects individual students' autonomy and creativity, emphasizing library-centered learning, humanities-based thinking, and ecological sensitivity. With this IB candidacy, the school plans to create a globally connected learning environment and provide a structured curriculum to nurture students as global citizens. The school also aims to solidify its teaching and assessment practices in preparation for becoming an IB World School.

In addition to Jiphyungseon High School, two elementary schools and five middle schools in Jeollabuk-do have also been approved as IB candidate schools, bringing the total number of IB candidate schools in the province to eight.

"The approval of Jiphyungseon High School, a specialized alternative school, as an IB DP candidate school is significant," said Seo Geoseok, Superintendent of Education for Jeollabuk-do. "We will actively support students' learning and growth through the IB program and systematically establish IB teaching and assessment models."