The initial education in the schools plays a very crucial role in molding a child for the future. Therefore for the overall development of the child, it is necessary to have a good start. A good start indicates the choice of a correct board of education. The methodology and strategy followed by each board play an essential role in building up one’s career and act as a bridge in the achievement of the goals, therefore it becomes quite important to choose a suitable and appropriate board for the child.
Today through this article, let's explore details about a few of the prominent boards of education in India. In India, CBSE and ICSE are two of the most acknowledged boards of education that a student opts for, however, there are other boards like IB and IGCSE that are achieving popularity in several schools, particularly in the bigger cities. Through this article, let us have a comparison between CBSE, ICSE & IB Boards.
CBSE Board (Central Board of Secondary Education)
· CBSE board is one of the most preferred boards in the Indian schools, CBSE follows the national curriculum with the additional subject matter.
· CBSE is acknowledged by the NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training). Two of the major examinations of the board are— the All India Secondary School Examination/AISSE/Class X board exam/ and the second is All India Senior School Certificate Examination/AISSCE/Class XII board exam.
· CBSE board is also followed in Kendriya Vidyalayas which are run by the Central Government.
· Almost all national level entrance examinations are conducted as per the syllabus of CBSE. Therefore Students with a career goal in Engineering or Medical prefer this board.
ICSE/The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE)
· ICSE is administered by CISCE or the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination, Which conducts similar exams as CBSE for 10th and 12th. ICSE ( Indian Certificate of Secondary Education) for Class X and ISC (The Indian School Certificate ) for ClassXII.
· CISCE/ICSE is acknowledged by colleges/universities in India along with many foreign educational universities.
IB(International Baccalaureate)
International Baccalaureate(IB) is a no-profit educational organization that offers excellent quality programs for children in the age group of 3 to 19 years. The IB curriculum is even more difficult and demanding than the other two boards due to the curriculum pattern.
Differences in education approach between the boards
CBSE:
· The CBSE pattern mainly focuses on preparing students for the Engineering/ Medical exams. That is more focus is given on the theoretical approach and application. CBSE focuses less on languages.
· CBSE offers instruction in both English and Hindi language.
· The CBSE syllabus is somewhat easier when compared to that of other boards like ICSE, mainly due to fewer and compressed structure of the syllabus.
· Major exams-Two(AISSE for Class 10 and AISSCE for Class 12).
· CBSE schools are cheaper than the other two boards.
ICSE:
· The main goal of ICSE is to render high-quality education to students via a practical approach. It prompts students to choose across diverse streams/subjects by putting equal emphasis on subjects along with languages especially English.
· ICSE offers instruction only in the English language.
· Major exams-3(ICSE for Class X, ISC for Class XII, and the Certificate in Vocational Education in short form CVE).
· It focuses on the overall development of the students with an emphasis on developing practical knowledge of the subjects. ICSE curriculum is advantageous for students who prefer to go abroad for higher education as the ICSE board is recognized by many universities and countries across the globe.
IB:
· It focuses on holistic learning, intercultural awareness, enhancement of communication skills, languages, arts, and humanities. The goal of the IB is to construct global citizens.
· It has an international curriculum where subjects are taught in an integrated way in order to avoid a fragmented approach. IB has a distinct approach with few textbooks. Students are free to explore the world.
· Major exams-3{ PYP-Primary years program for the KG to 5th standard students, MYP-Middle years program for the 6th-10th standard students, and the DYP-Diploma years program for the 11th-12th standard students.
· The IB schools are recognized as prestigious, at the same time expensive.
· The main focus of IB is on ‘how to learn’ rather than ‘what to learn’. Students following the IB curriculum have a little advantage in exams like CAT, GRE, and SAT because of the better analytical abilities.
Frequently asked questions
Que. Which is the most difficult board amongst CBSE/ICSE/IB?
Ans. On a whole, the IB curriculum is more challenging than the CBSE and ICSE board. After IB next is ICSE and then comes CBSE.
Que. What classes are these boards applicable to?
Ans. CBSE is applicable from Nursery to Class-12th, ICSE is also applicable from Nursery to class-12th, the IB curriculum covers students that fall under the age group of 3-19 years.
Que. What are the subject combinations in Class 10?
Ans. CBSE BOARD
Total mandatory subjects: 5(Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, English, and 1 additional language)
Options for another language: Hindi, Sanskrit, French, Bengali, Computer, German, Gujarati, Kannada, Kashmiri, Marathi, Malayalam, Manipuri, Punjabi, Sindhi, Tamil, Oriya, Telugu, Urdu, Limbhu, Bhutia, Arabic, Russian, Persian, Portuguese, Spanish, Nepali, Tibetian, Mizo, Bodo, and Tangkhul.
Added subjects: Any language subject mentioned above or Information Education/Home Science/Physical Education.
ICSE board:
Total mandatory subjects:5(English, History, Civics & Geography, and an Indian Language).
Options for the first two extra subjects: Mathematics/Science/Environmental Science/ Computer Science/ Agricultural Science/Commercial Studies/Technical Drawing/Foreign Language/Classical Language and Economics.
Options for third extra subject: Computer Applications/Economic Applications/ Home Science/ Commercial Applications/ Physical Education/ Art/Performing Arts/ Cookery/ Fashion Designing Technical Drawing Applications/ Yoga and Environmental Applications.
IB:
Number of subjects: 6(five-compulsory and one optional)
mandatory subjects: 1st language/ 2nd language/ Arts/Physical Education and Technology.
Optional subject: Humanities (Geography and History)/Science (Biology, Chemistry & Physics) and Mathematics (Number, Algebra, Trigonometry, Geometry, Statistics, Discrete Mathematics, and Arithmetic).
Que. What are the subject combinations in Class 12?
Ans. CBSE:
Mandatory: English
Students can choose amongst the different groups.
Medical Group: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, English, plus one optional subject.
Non-Medical Group: English, Physics, Maths, Chemistry, plus one optional subject.
Commerce Group: English, Economics, Accountancy, Theory, and Practice of Management, Business Studies, plus one optional subject.
Arts Group: English, Political Science/Psychology, History/Economics, Maths/Geography/Home Science/Sociology/Computer App./Hindi/Sanskrit, etc plus one optional subject.
Elective subjects: Physical Education/ Fine arts/ Music Vocal/Instrumental/Classical/dance/Information Practices, etc.
ICSE:
Compulsory subjects: English, Environmental Education, and SUPW i.e Socially Useful Productive Work.
Students need to choose 3 to 5 subjects from the optional subjects.
Optional subjects include:- An Indian Language/1 Modern Foreign Language/ 1 Classical Language/ Literature in English/ History/ Political Science/ Geography/ Sociology/ Psychology/ Economics/ Commerce/ Accounts/ Business Studies/ Mathematics Physics/ Chemistry/ Biology/ Home Science/ Physical Education/ Environmental Science/Fashion Designing/ Electricity & Electronics/ Engineering Science/ Computer Science/ Geometrical & Mechanical Drawing/Geometrical & Building Drawing/ Art/ Music (Indian or Western)/ and Biotechnology.
IB:
Mandatory subjects: First Language (English), Extended Essay, Action and Service, Theory of Knowledge, Creativity.
A student would have to choose one subject from each of the below groups:
Second Language (French, Sanskrit, Hindi, etc.), Individuals and, Societies (Economics, History, and Civics, etc.), Sciences (Botany, Physics, Chemistry, Zoology, and Environmental Systems)., Mathematics and Computer Science., Electives (either Visual Arts or any subject from the previous three options).
By Usha Saha
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