Most parents find themselves at cross roads when they have to decide the right board for their child’s education. Most articles over the internet throw ample of “Pros and Cons” of each of these boards, yet no article really educates a parent “why” a certain board is better over the other “specifically helping them gauge their circumstances and other factors”
Here’s a very different and undervalued perspective that parents may want to consider:
- The biggest challenge isn’t about which board to consider for your child. But which “School” would make the best school, that would actually inculcate all the “Pros and Benefits” of studying that particular board. Many schools are not equipped with the right teachers and infrastructure. It is alarmingly common in many private CBSE & ICSE Schools to have more than 30 students to one teacher ratio. For a single teacher to monitor your child’s activity and give him/her some personalized attention is simply not possible.
- Alarmingly often, schools lack in the Infrastructure and Quality of Teachers. They are plagued by Inefficient Administration and Administration Systems, making the overall quality of Education subpar. Equal focus must be imparted on Practical studies, Life Skills, Extra-Curricular activities and Personality Development. But inefficient course planning often results in teachers rushing to finish their coursework and sending a huge chunk of classwork for homework. Often students look for “extra-tuitions” to cope with the education or (lack of education) in class. Tuitions and extra classes should never be a norm (except for a few special cases) if a school is doing the imparting of its education right.
Other Factors:
- Do you wish to continue your child’s further education in India? If you do then CBSE & ICSE Boards should be your choices. These boards (specially CBSE) prepare children for competitive exams that would help them gain admissions in colleges in India.
- If you can afford the expensive IB & IGCSE Board OR have plans to send your child abroad for education OR have plans to travel abroad for work/permanent residency. Then IB & IGCSE could be your choice.
- Understand your child’s capabilities & learning patterns. If they enjoy practical, hands-on learning and applicability of what they have learnt in class, then IGCSE or IB syllabus would work for them. If they can learn and memorise complex concepts by reading aloud and understanding. If memorizing and mugging complex concepts come to them easily. If the school environment is competitive and they can withstand the competitive classroom environment and pressures perhaps CBSE & ICSE may not be a wrong choice for them.
- Parents often enroll their children in SSC (State board) till class 8th or 9th because the cost of education is a lot lesser and then switch to CBSE/ICSE because it would prepare the children for competitive exams.
- Another route that parents take is letting their children study in CBSE/ICSE board for their formative years and switch to State Boards for the 10th and 12th for State Concessions in Undergraduate colleges.
There is no one answer right for all. The deciding factors are often plenty and mostly very personal. The above-mentioned options are only a sample of scenarios that play a crucial factor in the deciding process for the right board.
Read more: The difference between IB Curriculum and IGCSE and how to choose between IB and IGCSE