Luanda International School (LIS) is a

international International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes comp ...

Luanda Luanda () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city in Angola. It is Angola's primary port, and its major Angola#Economy, industrial, Angola#Culture, cultural and Angola#Demographics, urban centre. Located on Angola's northern Atl ...

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. Established in October 1996 by five people interested in the creation of an

English-medium An English-medium education system is one that uses English as the primary medium of instruction—particularly where English is not the mother tongue of the students. Initially this is associated with the expansion of English from its homeland i ...

international school in

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, it is supported by oil companies to benefit the families of their employees. LIS is an International Baccalaureate World School (IB) and is authorized to offer all three International Baccalaureate programs. The largest international school in Luanda, it is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, and the Council of International Schools.

History

Luanda International School opened on 26 October 1996, enrolling 27 students. It was located in the city of Luanda at Rua de Cambambe, 21–23, Bairro de Patrice Lumumba. Founders of the school included Roger Ballard Tremeer, South African Ambassador to Angola at that time; Carmen Campbell-Hewitt, the school's founding Principal; and three interested parents: Florbela Lopes, Emilienne Macauley, and Doreen Verster. Before 2003, the school had moved to its current location at Via S6, Bairro de Talatona, Município de Belas

Facilities

In 2003 the school engaged Flansburg architects of

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to create a master plan for its existing 6.5 hectare (16 acre) campus, as well as for a new 4 hectare (10 acre) site, called the "annex", which would house the lower elementary school. According to the plan, "upper elementary, secondary school, and central administration are to remain on the existing campus".

Michael Specter Michael Specter (born 1955) is an American journalist who has been a staff writer, focusing on science and technology, and global public health at ''The New Yorker'' since September 1998. He has also written for ''The Washington Post'' and ''The ...

of ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' described the campus as "beautiful and modern". LIS is the largest international school in Luanda. The school can expand to include a maximum of 950 students.

Curriculum

LIS is an International Baccalaureate World School (IB) and is authorized to offer three International Baccalaureate programs: Primary Years Program, Middle Years Program and the

IB Diploma Program The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into ...

. These programs form the framework for an inquiry-based approach to learning and teaching. For example, in 2017

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

featured a student who was working on a project to raise awareness of child trafficking. The school offers a proactive counselling program. LIS is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, and the Council of International Schools.

Faculty

For the 2019/2020 academic year, there were 89 teaching staff. According to Specter, "The staff is made up largely of foreign teachers, who tend to move every few years among the world's élite international schools."

Enrollment

At the start of the 2019/2020 academic year, enrollment was 689 students. The school's enrollment includes 55

nationalities Nationality is a legal identification of a person in international law, establishing the person as a subject, a ''national'', of a sovereign state. It affords the state jurisdiction over the person and affords the person the protection of the ...

. Embassy families and families of employees of BP,

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, Eni, Exxon/Esso,

Halliburton Halliburton Company is an American multinational corporation responsible for most of the world's hydraulic fracturing operations. In 2009, it was the world's second largest oil field service company. It has operations in more than 70 countries ...

, and Schlumberger are given priority in enrollment. Specter wrote, "Fees, which are almost always paid by oil companies, come to about sixty thousand dollars a year. Some companies even pay when they don't have a student who needs the seat."

Controversy

In 2018, national employees of the school filed a complaint asking "the Ministry of Public Administration, Labor and Social Security ( MAPTSS) carry out a 'very thorough investigation' of that organization..." based on "alleged mistreatment that national workers have been subjected to, as well as the remuneration asymmetries that most benefit foreign workers". The specific complaints included that "foreigners have the right to residence, water and electricity, transportation with a driver, food, health insurance (SOS international), domestic workers, stress subsidies and wage arrears abroad, wages abroad, and annual performance allowance, while national officials are simply entitled to wages, transportation, and food."

References

External links

* * (video, 10:29 minutes) * Text has been adapted fro
a fact sheet
released by the

US State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...

's Office of Overseas Schools on March 2, 2020, {{Authority control International schools in Angola Schools in Luanda International Baccalaureate schools in Angola Educational institutions established in 1996 1996 establishments in Angola