National Boards In India Vs. International Curriculum

The widespread adaptation of international curriculums like IGCSE and IB by schools in India brings a paradigm shift to education. The schools across India affiliate themselves with the popular national boards CBSE and ICSE. The international schools utilise the national syllabus’s best practices and strive to implement global education in our Indian context. The article below analyses the international schools’ features and compares them with the national curriculum.

National Boards Of Education In India

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is the most popular and widely available affiliation across India. The Council For The Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) is a private organisation that awards the ICSE certificate to secondary school students.

The CBSE Schools

The CBSE board advises its schools to follow the NCERT curriculum that focuses more on the science and maths subjects. The other streams like humanities, arts and creative subjects receive less attention and schools follow a traditional teacher-based instruction. The emphasis on marks in exams does not accommodate students who prefer practical learning and different assessment methods.

The ICSE Education

Schools with better infrastructure choose the ICSE curriculum to give equal importance to all subjects and extracurricular subjects. The syllabus provides a balanced and inclusive education through its practical activities and in-depth knowledge. The ICSE students have the opportunity to explore their interests in management, literature and arts. The systematic teaching approach for English enables the learner to score well when they take TOEFL for studying abroad.

International Curriculum Available In India

The globalisation effect brings awareness to the internationally acclaimed syllabus, and many schools have come up in recent times to address this particular need among parents. The International Baccalaureate (IB) program and the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) qualification are the two favourite international education choices.

The IB Diploma

The IB Diploma program deals with all aspects of the child’s growth and prepares them for future success at universities. The Diploma candidates excel in academic knowledge and also prosper harmoniously and honestly. The IB program allows teachers to interact with the other teachers from their community to learn and implement best teaching practices. The teaching methodology they follow allows the students to develop a deep interest in their topic and gain good subject knowledge.

The IGCSE Curriculum

A global community of Cambridge learners adopt the IGCSE curriculum prescribed by the Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) board. The CIE, a part of the University of Cambridge’s assessment unit, awards the certificate to qualifying students at the tenth-grade level. Students can further take Cambridge A-level and AS-level assessments to gain a Class XII equivalent certificate. This curriculum also gives equal weightage to both languages and social sciences.

Making The Right Choice

Choosing between national boards and international syllabus depends mostly on your educational expectations and child’s aptitude. CBSE focuses more on STEM subjects and will help your child to get into professional courses like engineering and medicine for higher studies. The IB and IGCSE are globally recognised and will help your child pursue advanced degree programs abroad.

Read More : Reasons That Make International Schools A Better Choice