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international

Ecole internationale de Genève (Ecolint):

innovating at the heart of international Geneva since 100 years

Ecolint’s influence extends far beyond the
classroom. At the origin of the International
Baccalaureate (IB) in the late 1960s and resolutely
not-for-profit, the school's impact on both
International and local Geneva is profound.

In this article, we explore the remarkable history,
impact, and unique place of Ecolint within the
local and international communities of Geneva,
the Canton of Vaud, and Switzerland.

Early days
Founded in the throes of the First World War
in 1924 by a group of visionaries inspired by
Founded in 1924 by local educators and officials the Ecole Nouvelle and the pedagogical ideas of
from the League of Nations and the International Freinet, Froebel and Montessori, Ecolint was the
Labour Organization (ILO), Ecolint was world's first international school. Involved in the
established with the clear purpose of providing creation of the school, founders include:
an international education for both Geneva’s Arthur Sweetser, the League of Nations’ Director
international and local community. Over the past of Public Information
100 years, this mission has remained steadfast, Polish physician Ludwik Rajchman, Director
as Ecolint continues to educate for a better of the League of Nations’ Health Organization,
world, grounded in its founding principles of creation of UNICEF.
peace, inclusiveness, respect, and inter-cultural Sir Arthur Salter, in 1944 appointed Deputy
understanding. Director-General of the United Nations Relief
and Rehabilitation Administration.

Aujourd'hui, l’école compte trois campus,
accueille plus de 4500 élèves et 1100 membres
du personnel. Ce qui la distingue, c'est son
engagement exceptionnel envers chaque élève,
offrant un soutien à l'apprentissage, des conseils
d'orientation universitaire de haute qualité et
une culture d'inclusivité qui rend l'expérience
éducative de chaque élève extraordinaire.

The marriage of true minds between civil servants from L’Ecolint offre une éducation bilingue de la primaire
the League of Nations and educators from the Institut Jean- au secondaire et propose divers programmes tels
Jacques Rousseau in 1924 gave birth, on 17 September, to que le Baccalauréat International, l'IGCSE et la
the International School of Geneva, eight pupils of different Maturité fédérale.
ages and three teachers, on the grounds of a borrowed chalet,
huddled around a hutch they were building for the pet rabbit Extraordinarily international
one of the children had brought along. Today, the school has Today, with 143 nationalities and 80 mother
over 4500 students. tongues, there is no school on earth with a more
extraordinarily diverse student body. Growing up

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