Queen Morta School Granted Prestigious International Status
Queen Morta School has officially become a candidate for the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and the Middle Years Programme (MYP) of the International Baccalaureate (IB). According to the founder of Queen Morta School, educationalist Austėja Landsbergienė, PhD, the school’s candidate status is a significant achievement and an important step towards becoming an International Baccalaureate Continuum School, which will eventually hold accreditations for all three IB programs (PYP, MYP, and DP).
Goal – Consistent International Education
“Although the number of schools with one or another IB program is growing in Lithuania, as parents and educators have begun to realize that it is a reliable, long-standing organization that collaborates with researchers, has a serious accreditation process, and provides children with a solid academic foundation, we strive to be one of the first fully accredited international schools in Lithuania. This means that we want to provide our students with a consistent, continuous, and comprehensive international education from elementary school to high school.”
“We have been working towards this continuity since 2021 when we became an IB World School and began teaching 11th and 12th-grade students under the Diploma Programme (DP). We are incredibly happy to now have received candidate status for the Primary and Middle Years Programs—this is a significant recognition and the result of long-term work,” says Austėja Landsbergienė, PhD.
To obtain the accreditation for these programs, the school must meet high requirements for teaching quality, teacher qualifications, resources, leadership, and assessment systems. Many things are already in place at the school.
More Opportunities for Students
Currently, IB programs are among the most stable and reliable worldwide, so parents sending their children to a school where these programs are taught can be confident that these programs will not radically change after 12 or 13 years, even though IB programs are continuously updated in a systematic and structured manner.
“The uniqueness of these programs is that they provide a solid academic foundation and enable students to gain not only knowledge but also essential 21st-century skills without which no modern person can do. Overall, IB World Schools are united by a common philosophy—a commitment to providing high-quality, academically challenging international education that is particularly relevant for young people with a broad worldview,” lists Austėja Landsbergienė, PhD.
The Primary Years Programme (PYP) is designed for primary school students and aims to nurture their curiosity and love for learning, focusing on holistic early childhood education that develops not only academic knowledge but also social and emotional skills. This program emphasizes values, critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration. It is a flexible curriculum focused on inquiry, meaning that children are encouraged to search for answers to questions that interest them, while also developing their skills and abilities to support lifelong learning.
The Middle Years Programme (MYP) is aimed at students aged 11-16 and provides them with the opportunity to deepen their knowledge by integrating different disciplines. This aims to help students understand how subjects such as history, geography, mathematics, languages, and sciences interconnect and how skills gained in one discipline can be applied to others. This integration allows students to understand the relationships between the subjects they are taught and transfer their knowledge from one area to another. This program is special because it strengthens students’ abilities to think critically, explore, and actively engage in the learning process, preparing them to apply their knowledge in real-life situations.
The Diploma Programme (DP) is designed for students aged 16-19 and focuses on preparing them for university study and career planning. This program develops their critical and analytical thinking, helps them gain in-depth academic knowledge, and fosters various skills such as independence, problem-solving, and ethical evaluation. In addition to core academic subjects, students write an Extended Essay, participate in Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) projects, and delve into the nature of knowledge through the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) course, which develops critical thinking and refines analytical skills.
“This systematic progression of these three programs ensures continuous learning. Therefore, as students move through each educational stage, they develop skills and values aligned with the IB philosophy, which will help them when applying to their dream universities. Another very important aspect is that many prestigious global universities are aware of the reliability of these programs, so it is natural that a young person coming from a school that offers all three IB programs will have more doors opened to them. Of course, they still need to study well, pass exams, and get their diploma, but they are already considered part of the trusted group of future students,” explains Austėja Landsbergienė, PhD.
Global Educational Standards, Fostering Lithuanian Identity
According to the founder of Queen Morta School, the value of these programs will be felt not only by the students at this school but also by the teachers. They will participate in professional development, exchange experiences with colleagues from other countries, and gain more knowledge and experience. However, even as the school becomes international, it will retain its uniqueness—civic education.
“When Queen Morta School was founded, it was planned to be a Lithuanian school with an international educational standard. Therefore, even after receiving the desired accreditations, we will maintain our motto ‘Local school, global education.’ This means that in the elementary and middle schools, teaching will continue in Lithuanian, while the Diploma Programme will be taught in English, as it has been until now. Additionally, we will continue to emphasize strong civic education.”
“We are a small country, and we have one of the oldest languages in the world, so it is extremely important to nurture it, along with our unique history, culture, and traditions, and to remind our students of all our struggles for freedom and our unity. In our school, values and Lithuanian identity will remain strong—neither the teaching of the Lithuanian language nor civic education will weaken, as they are incredibly important even in the identity of a global citizen,” says Austėja Landsbergienė, PhD.