Which board should I choose—the CBSE or the ICSE? Should I choose any other state boards? Where should I enroll my child? or How do CBSE and ICSE differ from one another?
Every parent faces this academic dilemma when trying to provide their child with the finest education possible. The three main levels of India’s present education system are primary, secondary, and senior secondary. Additionally, the two most well-known educational boards in India are ICSE and CBSE.
Parents must be aware of the differences between CBSE and ICSE as well as the numerous qualities of these two education boards in order to make an informed choice, even though each of these boards has its own particular features. Consequently, we take an insight into these two boards in this blog and assist in providing answers to all of your queries.
As one of the best boarding schools in India CBSE, we at Birla Public School Kishangarh follow the most modern and cutting-edge educational philosophy, which stresses “Child Centric Education.” To put this into action, we promote an environment that is healthy and enriched by individualized attention catered to diverse learning requirements. We back the “Experiential Learning” method, which has students learn in well-equipped classrooms with audio and visual aids as well as interactive whiteboards with personalized digital content.
Without further ado, let’s start with a brief overview of both of these boards.
A Brief Overview of the ICSE Board
ICSE is known as “CISCE” or “Council for The Indian School Certificate Examinations,” to put it simply.
Technically speaking, ICSE is a set of tests given to pupils in Class 10 by the CISCE board. ICSE is renowned for its rigor, stringent internal exams, and comprehensive (yet expansive) coverage of the syllabus in several areas, in addition to being a distinguished academic option for pupils.
Candidates who choose ICSE are required to take a total of six subjects, with English being a required subject. Structure-wise, ICSE is more focused on international exams and Olympiads, which makes it the best option for people who want to study abroad at some point in their careers, whether it’s after Class 10 or in a prestigious university.
Please remember that ISC (Indian School Certificate) replaces ICSE after Class 10, which is a non-governmental education board. CISCE is affiliated with more than 1000 schools in India and around the world.
A Brief Overview of the CBSE Board
The CBSE board, which is directly under the control of the Indian government, is well-known throughout India. The syllabus and topic range of CBSE set it different from ICSE. The academic lessons and texts recommended by the CBSE board follow the format and guidelines of numerous national competitive exams, including AIEE, JEE, NEET, and others.
For individuals who desire to continue with the same board of education after Class 10, CBSE also covers Grades 11 and 12. The CBSE board of education has affiliations with roughly 16000 schools in India and 24 other countries.
Major Difference Between CBSE and ICSE Boards
The right decision, if you’re debating between ICSE and CBSE, will rely on your child’s profile. Consider your alternatives in light of your child’s strengths and weaknesses.
ICSE students only receive instruction in English, whereas CBSE students receive instruction in both Hindi and English.
This difference makes it easier for students to understand concepts, especially for those who have trouble understanding either of the two languages.
These are the major differences between CBSE and ICSE:
Difficulty Level
ICSE surpasses CBSE in terms of difficulty, ranking first. This is due to the fact that the ICSE curriculum is based on several internal assessments and that topics learned in the classroom are used in practical sessions.
Although the learning curve is not particularly steep when you enroll in CBSE, you miss out on knowledge that is applicable to the real world. In contrast to CBSE, where the tests are easy to pass, ICSE requires a high degree of learning. If your child needs to achieve conceptual clarity and in-depth subject understanding, ICSE is the best option.
Transferability
Since there aren’t many ICSE schools in the country, it would be difficult for you to continue your child’s education if you frequently travel between cities with your family.
However, it’s not that difficult to switch schools for your child if you’re moving cities because CBSE is recognized by the Government of India and schools all over the nation adopt this board of education. Choose ICSE if you want to live in one city with your family for the next five to ten years; otherwise, CBSE is your child’s best option.
Competitive and International Exams
The vast advantage of CBSE is its curriculum. The curriculum of the CBSE is designed for competitive exams; in fact, even well-known entrance exams for engineering and medicine are based on its subject-syllabi.
On the other hand, ICSE triumphs in terms of global acceptance. Many foreign schools put their faith in ICSE graduates because they understand the breadth and complexity of the curriculum. Simply put, choose CBSE if you want to help your child succeed in national competitive tests like AIEE and JEE. Consider ICSE for exams for scholarships and international Olympiads.
The Range of Subjects
ICSE is the ideal option for your child if he enjoys studying and his brain is constantly on the move. For those with creative minds, ICSE offers a number of languages, including Hindi, English, Kannada, Tamil, and Telugu, in addition to creative disciplines like fashion design, agriculture, home science, and cookery.
If you want to groom your young one to excel in all areas, whether they want to go on to become professional athletes, visual artists, or scientists, ICSE is the ideal option.
Grading System
Since all of the papers you take part in during the exam are marked alphabetically in CBSE, you are unaware of your score. In ICSE, grades for each topic are shown with students’ individual numerical scores, which provides a good idea of how well the students performed in each subject.
Private Candidature and Mentorships
Private candidates are not permitted to take the ICSE exams, and only ICSE-exclusive pupils are permitted to write the board exam papers. On the other hand, the CBSE board allows students from other boards, like SSC, to participate in the curriculum.
In contrast to ICSE, which begins student grooming early, CBSE enables admittance for children who change boards in the middle of their formative years. When it comes to tutoring, ICSE instructors are more common than CBSE tutors in cities like Kolkata, Mumbai, and Bangalore.
Because ICSE is preferred by online learning environments as well, ICSE dominates the educational landscape in contrast to CBSE in terms of sophistication and scope. Currently, academic systems worldwide also accept the CBSE curriculum. In contrast to CBSE, ICSE is regarded as a comprehensive and holistic senior high school.
With some schools including courses like interior design, computer science, and environmental science in their curricula, ICSE clearly excels in the category of subject flexibility and choice.
Steps for Choosing the Right Board for Your Child
Understand Your Child’s Personal
Try to understand your child first before getting swept up in the frenzy of everything else; every child is unique in their own way. Despite imposing their beliefs on their kids, the majority of parents still don’t get it. If you don’t get to know your kids, you’ll make decisions for them that won’t benefit you in the long run.
Is he/she a creative person, or is he/she a brilliant scholar?
Is he/she a math prodigy, or is he/she good with language?
This is the most crucial and initial stage of planning as you choose the best boards for your child’s secondary school.
Set a Collective Goal
Keep in mind that you and your child are both involved in this; everything they do reflects you, and everything you do will have an impact on their academic performance. Make it stressful for neither your child nor yourself. Play it collectively. The best future for your ward can only be carved out then.
Opt for the Right Boarding School
Always keep in mind that your child attends school, not the educational system, and most certainly not the secondary education office of a board of education to learn and become educated, as we have been emphasizing constantly.
Choosing a top boarding school is a completely different story altogether; and it is not just about the boarding school but its history, culture, and its so-called behavior. Given that you combine your reputation with the boarding school’s reputation when you choose a school for your child, you simply cannot choose wrong.
Is it a CBSE or ICSE school?
Does your child like school or not?
Whether you and your child share this opinion or whether you are just imposing your choice on him.
Make sure you have the right answers to all of these questions and inquiries before drawing any conclusions.
Do thorough research on each school boarding on your list, read reviews, talk to friends and relatives about them, and then pick the best choice for your child.
Discuss with Your Child
Every decision you make for your child must be discussed with them first and should never be imposed. Talk to them about all facets of their schooling. Your child will enroll in the school, not you; they will be the ones to ask for tuition; and they will be the ones to pass or fail the exam.
If your ward has even the slightest skepticism about the future, take your time making the ultimate decision; after you’ve made it, there won’t be any more time to consider it.
Reading blogs for parenting advice and, if required, subscribing to a parenting guide are small and banal steps that can have a big impact on your child’s future.
Make the Best of It
You must be there for your child at all times; just carefully following these steps above won’t make you the finest parent ever. It is you who illuminate when your child shines, and it is you who will be stressed when only when your child fails.
Finally, all we can do is encourage you to practice good parenting and remember the helpful advice we provided, such as reading parenting blogs, being aware of the differences between the CBSE and ICSE boards, and subscribing to blogs and guidelines for parents.
Your child can attend multiple schools at different times, of course, but make this selection once, and stick with it.
Wrapping Up
You now know that both boards have their pros and cons. By comparing the differences between the CBSE and ICSE education boards, parents are advised to take these considerations into account while choosing a school board. However, please keep in mind that individual studies and efforts are more important than boards. Regardless of the board, your child can succeed and flourish in their career with consistent and diligent effort.
In case you’re considering sending your child to the best CBSE co-ed boarding schools in India, make sure you give Birla Public School Kishangarh a thought.
