“Choosing a school is so difficult these days. How do I choose a school?“, remarked my colleague. She was sharing her experiences on visit to a school fair over the weekend. It is that time of the year when parents are busy picking the school they would like to have their child admitted.. We then had a discussion on CBSE/ICSE, About the international schools that have come up and about the rising education costs. The next academic year is still 6-7 months away, but schools start the admission process early in the year. Let’s see some facts related to private education system in India.
- Parents want their kids to get the best education possible
- Indian educational institutions are not among the front ranking institutions in the world, though Indians students have done brilliantly outside India and have top positions in many organizations.
- The number of education boards in the country has increased in the past decade, resulting in more options, but at the same time more stress, for already anxious parents. Gone are the days when a parent had just schools of state board or the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) or Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) to choose from. Today, there is a wide range of options, including schools following the The International Baccalaureate (IB)/International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) curricula.
- Every school promises an education system, which provides an all-round holistic education excellent infrastructure giving a positive and challenging environment for children to develop their natural talents. Children are encouraged to be creative, independent, inquisitive, and explorative. But number of schools are mushrooming? Teachers quality is debatable, and attrition rate is High. My friend’s daughter had 3 teachers in an year!
- Education has become expensive. In our earlier article Rising Education costs! we had shared the findings of Associated Chamber of Commerce & Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) survey How much does a school education for a child costs in 2011? Rs. 94,000 annually for single child on school education. This includes fees, books,transport, stationery, uniform, educational trips,building fund, extra tuition and extracurricular activities. Break up of cost give The minimum outgo for an ICSE /CBSE school is Rs 50,000 to 1 lakh . For International curricula IGSCE/IB, it goes upto few lakhs. This is not just a one-time commitment, it is rather a recurring expense and it keeps rising year after year. Majority of parents spend on average more than Rs 18 lakh-20 lakh in raising a child by the time their teen graduates from high school.
- Education in school is just not sufficient. People are enrolling their children in tuition classes, foundation courses(for IIT starts from class 7 at many places)
- Other than school education a child goes for extra-curricular classes such as dance,music,playing musical instrument, playing games like badminton, football,cricket. And the fees of such classes are also rising.
- If you are worrying about this sharp rise in school education expense, there’s a bigger time bomb ticking away. Higher education costs are growing at an even faster rate. Average fees of Engineering course is roughly Rs 6 Lakh today, five years down the line it would be close to double meaning Rs 12 Lakh. In 10 years’ time, it’s likely to cost around Rs 20 Lakh. There is also trend of sending children to abroad for higher studies (even undergraduate). Raising the question of should I save for retirement or higher studies of children.
Table of Contents
Choice of Curriculum : ICSE, CBSE, IB, IGCSE or State Board
The debate between concerned parents and educators on whether a CBSE or an ICSE system is better has been going on for years. With the increasing numbers of schools offering the International Baccalaureate, International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) from University of Cambridge International Examinations and the Waldorf system; the debate has widened, providing both stress and options to parents.
Number of Schools offering ICSE, CBSE, IB, IGCSE or State Board
As per The great Indian education debate(Jul 2013)
- For CBSE There are 12 million students in 12,504 schools including 1,002 Kendriya Vidyalayas, 1,944 government schools, 8,966 independent schools, 562 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and 30 Central Tibetan Schools,
- ICSE has 1,900 schools in India and about 1,40,878 students (including 232 abroad).
- Interestingly, players such as IB and IGCSE have also managed to carve a niche for themselves with many schools now catering to the expat and NRI community.Both the international boards came to Indian shores years ago, but in the last five years, the number of schools tying up with them has shot up significantly. While there were a mere eight institutes offering the IB programme in 2000, the number of schools offering IGCSE was so insignificant that the board did not even have records of its presence in India in 2000. However, the scene has significantly changed. Currently there are 197 schools in India offering a Cambridge education, while 99 others impart the Geneva-imported IB programme and Maharashtra, with 109 IB and IGCSE schools, leads the tally, followed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
Curriculum : CBSE, ICSE,IB, IGCSE
CBSE & ICSE
Both the boards CBSE and ICSE have undergone a significant change over the last 10 years and the focus has shifted from passive learning to learning through experience and experimentation. For both the boards
- There is recognition by all colleges in India.
- Good content and books.
But there are slight differences
CBSE
- The CBSE syllabus is comparatively more rational and scientific in its approach. It has been designed for a specific year and is divided into various segments and every segment is given a specific number of periods so that it can be completely and thoroughly taught in one year. As a result, the CBSE system enables the teachers to prepare the teaching of various subjects in a coherent manner. Moreover, this system helps the students allocate time to different subjects in a balanced way
- Focus on Science and Mathematics as well as application based subjects. This helps students for engineering and medical entrance exams.
- Easy to find tutors, books for all classes.
- Continuous And Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE), a new system of education implemented by CBSE for students of sixth to tenth grades. It removes the marking system and introduces grading system based on a series of curricular and extracurricular activities.
- Numerous talent search examinations and scholarship exams such as SSTSE, NSEB, NSEC etc held at local and national level base their content on CBSE syllabus.
- Some students may find ICSE syllabus vast as ICSE have more syllabus and subjects. Sixth grade ICSE student will face 12-13 subject examinations while CBSE student will face on 5-6 subject examinations.
- Syllabus followed by the ICSE board is more comprehensive and complete, which gives all fields with equal importance. (ex: science, maths, language, arts, home science, agriculture, fashion design,cookery).
- Overall syllabus (like languages) of ICSE will give slight upper hand in english to their students. This will help them in some exams which are based on English. But then one has to read Shakespeare 🙂
- Class X exams have entire year portion unlike CBSE which has portion for only second semester.
International Curricula : IB and IGCSE
- IGCSE and IB programmes are more practical and application-based.
- It provide students an opportunity to select courses according to their interest in the subjects of science, humanities, languages, mathematics. The courses also provide them an opportunity to mix these subjects with components of fine arts, visual arts, theatre, technical drawing, music, film making, community service, etc.
- Emphasis is laid on developing critical thinking, analytical skills, communication skills, investigative abilities, problem solving techniques, team work, independent research and other qualities valued by all international universities.
- They have a broader spectrum of subjects that lead to all-round development and are more challenging than Indian educational boards and test student knowledge, not their memory and speed.
- The IGCSE/IB programme has worldwide status and credibility. Many international universities prefer students trained in the thinking style of education. International programmes give students an edge during the college admission process.
CONS
- In the international school system, a student may select the science he wants to study. But entry to science-based degree programmes in India mandates physics, chemistry and mathematics for engineering; physics, chemistry and biology for medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and related fields like physiotherapy, etc. Though Indian universities accept the IB /IGCSE for entry into degree programmes, but students find it tough to get the high scores in order to meet the competitive selection process
- The timing of the Indian entrance examinations, in the month of May, clashes with the final examinations of most international boards. Results also come late.
- The International boards are expensive (around 5 lakh+) compared to CBSE/ICSE schools.
Points to consider if you have a transferable job
- If the parents have a transferable job and the child has to change schools frequently, they should ideally opt for an ICSE or CBSE school.
- If job involves transfer to small cities or towns(technically called tier-II ) one should ideally opt for a CBSE school. If the transfer is restricted to metros or urban areas, parents can opt for ICSE or a CBSE School. The logic is that ICSE schools are still a rare concept in smaller towns of the country
- If parents have a job with prospects of overseas postings.Then people opt for IGSCE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) board or The International Baccalaureate (IB) board
Website of the Various Boards
- http://cbse.gov.in
- http://cisce.azurewebsites.net/
- http://www.ibo.org/country/IN/
- http://www.cie.org.uk/
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Curriculum has developed, examination system has become comprehensive, classes with less students , better student to teacher ratio, parents totally dedicated to their one or two kids. There is Google and good websites like khanacademy.org to help out the kids. But has the education system really changed? Is it still not too much, rote based and exam oriented. Are we still not chasing marks? She fumbled on Karan Johar’s Koffee with Karan show when she was asked “Who the President of India was?” Ever since then, Alia Bhatt has constantly been at the receiving at innumerable memes and jokes. But then Alia Bhatt took a potshot at herself by acting in Genius of the Year and showed how one can be caught in Black hole information paradox. How did you choose school for your child? What did you focus on? How much weight-age did you give to the Board?
Thanks for sharing Nice information
Thank you, this blog was really informative. Best IGCSE School in Hyderabad
Worth reading article, and very well said that all boards are different from each other in terms of syllabus and difficulty. So, one should really consider reading this before taking any decision.
Really a very helpful article thanks for sharing and keep on sharing!
RC International is one of the most preferred CBSE schools in Chikkabanavra premier educational institutions in Bangalore and has attained
unparalleled status and stability with its own sprawling campus.
Really a very helpful article thanks for sharing and keep on sharing!
RC International is one of the most preferred CBSE schools in Chikkabanavra premier educational institutions in Bangalore and has attained unparalleled status and stability with its own sprawling campus.
Hi
That’s another amazing post , Thanks for sharing…
all of the tips which you included are very helpful.
Nowadays Searching schools and best Science colleges are not easy. To Search top science colleges on the internet click the bellow website link and get list of top science colleges with detail information.
https://www.pickeronline.com/amravati/science-colleges
Nice article with good insights to choosing school and board. Thank you for sharing.
This is a great info about different boards in India, here are information we must know.
Good blog post. Thanks for the useful information. Cbse schools in Coimbatore
This is a very difficult decision for parents to make. After ample research, I realized that it would be best to enroll my child to an igcse school in Bangalore. They maintain really high standards.
Really Informative blog.Thanks for sharing us.
getting good marks I always Suggest you NCERT Solutions
Thanks for sharing. This is really a good blog.
Choose the right board for your kids. I suggest you one best CBSE school in Bangalore which is Emerald International School with the best academics & sports facilities as well.
Thanks for the post.
Yes, it’s true. Choosing the right school is very difficult nowadays. According to me, CBSE syllabus school is good for students.
For checking more details, click on the link…
http://emeraldinternationalschool.in/
A very nuanced article not only detailing various boards but also explaining the thinking process that gives birth to annoying debates such as cbse vs state board and cbse vs icse.
Great Effort!
Hello
Really very Nice and Wonderful love useful Blog Post. Thanks for sharing this interesting post about Best icse Schools.private schools in lucknow
Thanks!
scholars-home
With the myriad of options, its getting so complicated to narrow down to board, school and environment. thanks for the helpful article !
Choosing school and Board of education are very difficult nowadays. In this blog, it gives a clear chart about each curriculum program. Very useful in time.
I would suggest that when you are looking for the perfect school for your kids, curriculum and the efficiency of their staff to comprehend the curriculum should be one of the major factors. Well, in my personal opinion I always wanted my daughters to get better exposure in terms of education where the school offers multiple curriculums so that we have the option to go for the best-suited one. Thankfully Oakridge International School came as my saviour where I could join my kids and not feel worried about any of these concerns. So always look for schools which offer such wide curriculum options as part of their education policy.
We love, love, LOVE these tips, thanks so much for sharing!!
Thanks for sharing. This is really a good article.
First of all thanks Kirti
Maybe you feel differently but to me, picking the “perfect” CBSE,ICSE,IB,IGCSE board.
Regards
Katya
Thank-you for great information.
This information is really useful for those parents who are searching best education board for his child. keep it up..!
visit Aavishkar international school is one of the best CBSE school in ahmedabad…http://www.aavishkarschool.com
i dont want to put burden on her shoulders so pl help to choose easiest board for her as she has done myp3 nd igcse till now .will she be able to cope up with cbse
hi, please tell which board i should prefer for 11 arts stream as my child score
low in her 10th igcse nd doesnt fit for international board for 11 nd 12
Nice article with good insights to choosing school and board. Thank you for sharing.
Regards:
Priyanka j
CBSE Board Recommended Books and Education Products @ http://www.fastudent.com/shopby/cbse.html/
Trend of taking admission in ICSE board school is increasing day by day. Mostly the parents who are working in information technology field take admission in ICSE School for their child. ICSE gives a good foundation for all-round mathematical skills as it covers 40% more topics. If people like to take the admission for their child in ICSE School, I am suggesting Greenwood High International School to them.
There is no right or wrong school or board. As Amitabh Bachchan repeats his father “Koi bhi Raah pakad chal, paa jayega madushala”
My personal opinion is 10th in CBSE is easier due to semester but students feel overwhelmed in 11th.
Are you talking Greenwood in Bangalore. That also provides International, IGSE board.
This is a very difficult topic for parents to decide. One of my friend has confused like anything, as he was not able to differentiate between boards as per his budget. If one can afford than it is better to go with CBSE. People who have ambition to settle in outside India or come back to India after a long time may choose IGCSE.
But again there is no thumb rule.Simply visit the school and try to analyse every aspect and imagine whether your kid will be able to fit on that or not.
its really nice blog, will recommend my friends to go over it and understand difference between these boards.
IB World Academy
Dear Sir,
My sister decided to relocate to India from Qatar. Her kids were in the IGCSE schooling system. They have 4 kids. 1st completed year 11, 2nd completed year 10, 3rd completed year 4 and 4th kid completed year 1 under IGCSE schooling system.
Now my sister planning to relocate family back to Karnataka.
Please guide us how we can proceed further for education
ICSE is better.
Why do you say so PJ
Well, this is a very helpful post. Thanks for the information you provided.I think that I should at least say thanks for your hard work.
Thanks a lot for appreciation
Thanks for the article. But could have given some information about the state board as well. Should kids not be put in a simple state board?
Good observation Sir.
I tried to collect information on state boards but then couldn’t find the right way to put it. Also I could not find much information or have knowledge as I have studied in ICSE and my children are in CBSE/ICSE. For more information on state boards one can read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boards_of_Education_in_India
Secondly during our discussion state boards was not much discussed. People considered state board only in 11th and that too because of integration of FITJEE with Class Xi/XII course.
Do you have information on state boards?
Thanks for the article. But could have given some information about the state board as well. Should kids not be put in a simple state board?
Good observation Sir.
I tried to collect information on state boards but then couldn’t find the right way to put it. Also I could not find much information or have knowledge as I have studied in ICSE and my children are in CBSE/ICSE. For more information on state boards one can read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boards_of_Education_in_India
Secondly during our discussion state boards was not much discussed. People considered state board only in 11th and that too because of integration of FITJEE with Class Xi/XII course.
Do you have information on state boards?