Which Board to choose from

SSC, CBSE, ICSE and IB are some of the trending boards in India.

Choosing a board most suitable for the child is no mean task. Trust me when I say that most of the parents are confused as to which board to choose. There are 4 boards namely:

CBSE: Central Board of Secondary Education.

ICSE: Indian Certificate in Secondary Education.

IB: International Baccalaureate and our very own

SSC: State Boards.

A common misconception is that CBSE and ICSE are similar to State Boards.CBSE is an education board but ICSE is a certificate offered after completion of the course and it is not a board. Still ICSE Board is commonly used to mention this course.

Secondary School Certificate, commonly known as SSC is a public examination taken by the students of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Goa in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, after successfully completing at least ten years of schooling. It is followed by Higher Secondary (School) Certificate (HSC). SSC is an equivalent to GCSE in England.

State Boards are comparatively limited in content and subjects as compared to other boards. The syllabus is easier and hence less stressful to the students. These schools being state centric are excellent for parents planning to stay in the same state for life. The State Language is compulsory. As the concepts are generally lagging the kids have been given external coaching, if planning for IIT, CAT and other competitive exams. These Schools are great for kids who are focused on extracurricular activities like sports etc.

CBSE:Central Board of Secondary Education: Also known as CBSE Board. It prepares syllabus for students up to class 12.The curriculum is set by National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). The board conducts India's two nationwide board examinations: The All India Secondary School Examination for Class 10 and All India Senior School Certificate Examination for Class 12.

Many Schools are affiliated to CBSE syllabus. All Major cities have CBSE schools, hence easy to move around in the country. The curriculum is very good when it comes to general knowledge and general subjects. It allows the kids to experience subjects without going deep into them thus helping them to choose the focus after 10th.This board prepares kids for competitive exams like IIT,CAT,IIM and all entrance exams which are held at National level and it gives better chances for appearing for Armed Forces Exams,NDA,IAS,IFS,IPS etc.The Schools also focus a lot on extracurricular activities. Most of which are compulsory assuring an overall growth of the child. One disadvantage is the length of the syllabus..it’s very vast.

ICSE:
Short form for Indian Certificate in Secondary Education. It was established by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate. The council conducts exams an all India exam for class 10th called ICSE(Indian Certificate for Secondary Education) and for class 12 called the Indian School Certificate (ISC).
The ICSE follows the basics strengthening syllabus. All the introduction is repeated and then quadratic questions are handled. Even questions are based on the basics. This makes the basics of the topics very strong. This helps the student with a lot of confidence when higher studies are involved. As his basics are strong, half the battle is won. There is a lot of focus on Language and Literature. So good for kids wanting to make a career which involves writing,debating,reading,talking,arguing,surveying,historians,geologists etc.This curriculum is very good when it comes to General Knowledge and General subjects but is unnecessarily vast.

The board is also good for competitive exams like IIT,IIM,CAT,All India Entrance exams, but needs extra time and coaching. Even Armed Forces exams can be appeared after this Board. ICSE syllabus is extremely important for students who prefer higher education abroad. Exams like GRE, TOEFL and GMAT have a lot of verbal ability testing. Its also excellent for those who are migrating from abroad as the curriculum is closer to International Board. One important distinguishing feature in ICSE syllabus is the importance given to projects. Projects are very important and they form the basis of marking scheme in the performance of the student. This makes the student extremely active and improves his thinking ability.

IB Board:This board is excellent for kids whose parents are globe trotters as it enables the kids to get admission into any IB School across the world. There are very few students in each batch thus ensures quality focus on each child. The syllabus is taught in the most interesting and interactive way with the best of the equipments. The overall atmosphere of the school is international, with kids taking teachers as their equals.However; such schools can be extremely expensive.

What we have attempted here is to give a non biased analysis of each school. However, each board has its own merits and demerits. The choice is yours to see what suits your child the best.

Hope it’s useful for all mommies and would be mommies..