More than 100 educators from across India convened in Mumbai on 8 August for the annual Pan-India International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) coordinators and heads meet, an event aimed at exchanging classroom-tested practices and examining recent curricular enhancements for the primary years.
Focus on collaboration and classroom impact
The one-day meeting, hosted by Don Bosco International School, brought together 104 participants — including 89 PYP coordinators and 15 school heads — representing 65 schools. The event, held for the first time in Mumbai, carried the theme Stronger Together, The Power of Collaboration and featured sessions ranging from inquiry learning progressions to play-based approaches, technology integration and evolving teaching models.
“At the crux of it all was a shared pursuit — solutions to grappling questions, exchange of best practices, and the new curricular enhancements for the primary years’ programme,” said Meena Saldanha, principal of Don Bosco International School, which hosted the meeting.
Session topics reportedly included practical strands such as how inquiry-led progressions can be scaffolded in early grades, the role of play in purpose-driven learning, and methods to translate new teaching models into everyday classroom practice. Delegates also discussed how educational technology is being woven into lessons to change learner behaviour and outcomes.
Practical exchange, not theory alone
Participants shared concrete changes they had observed in learners after implementing specific approaches, and explored how successful practices could be adapted by other schools. Organisers framed the gathering as a collaborative platform to reflect on recent developments in the PYP and to foster peer learning among coordinators and heads.
The meeting underscored two interlinked aims: to surface solutions to common implementation challenges, and to enable schools to refresh their curricula and pedagogy through peer reflection. Attendees said the forum allowed them to evaluate their own progress and absorb fresh ideas for classroom teaching.
- Event: Pan-India IB PYP Coordinators and IB Heads Meet
- Date: 8 August 2026
- Location: Mumbai; hosted by Don Bosco International School
- Attendance: 104 participants from 65 schools
| Category | Number |
|---|---|
| Participants | 104 |
| PYP coordinators | 89 |
| School heads | 15 |
| Schools represented | 65 |
For teachers and school leaders, such gatherings offer two practical benefits: first, a condensed space to evaluate and refine classroom strategies informed by peers’ first-hand experience; second, an opportunity to plan how curriculum updates can be translated into learning sequences that make sense to learners, especially in the foundational years of primary schooling.
What this means for classrooms
While the meeting was a professional development and networking event for IB practitioners in India and South Asia, its emphasis on replicable classroom practice is notable. Delegates highlighted examples where inquiry-based approaches and play-oriented learning had shifted learner engagement and behaviour — signals that policy and school-level curriculum adjustments can have tangible impact when accompanied by teacher reflection and support.
As primary teachers and coordinators return to their schools, the challenge will be to sustain collaboration beyond the one-day meeting: aligning whole-school approaches, tracking changes in learner outcomes, and adapting resources for diverse classroom contexts. The gathering’s organisers positioned the event as a stepping stone for ongoing peer networks and shared professional learning.
By prioritising practical exchange over abstract debate, the Pan-India IB PYP meet aimed to put teachers and learners at the centre of curricular reform — a focus that classroom practitioners said helped them leave with actionable ideas to test and refine in their own settings.
