The Educational System in India has grown leaps and bounds over the last few decades. A lot of new schools, private universities, and other educational institutions have come up to the scene during these years. The Indian Government also made some significant policies to make education accessible to children of all communities. According to the Right To Education Act (2009), schooling is free and compulsory for children in the age bracket of 6 to 14 years. The educational boards of the country, be it the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education), ICSE (Indian Certificate of Secondary Education), the NIOS (National Institute of Open Schooling) or the State Boards, have been working tirelessly over the years to develop and raise the standards of the Indian Educational Sector. The CBSE and ICSE are well-acknowledged for their work that both the boards are very popular outside India also. When it comes to admission of their children in schools, the first question that comes to the mind of every parent is ICSE vs CBSE Board.
In Favour Of CBSE
The Central Board of Secondary Education was established in the year 1962. It has more than 20000 schools affiliated to it in India only.
- The major advantage of opting for the CBSE board is that most of the entrance examinations for higher studies are based on CBSE syllabus. This gives a huge benefit for the students as he/she will find it much easier to crack these exams compared to students of the other boards.
- The CBSE subjects are prepared such that it is easier for the students to learn and follow the topics.
- CBSE schools are easily accessible as they are available in every nook and corner of the country.
- CBSE conducts various talent search examinations and also provide scholarships to the deserving students.
In Favour Of ICSE
The Indian Certificate of Secondary Education was established in the year 1958. The board along with the CBSE is the most popular choice among parents of school-going children.
- The major advantage of ICSE in the ICSE vs CBSE Board debate is that the ICSE Syllabus is comprehensive. All the subjects are given equal importance.
- The certificate of ICSE is given higher regard in any of the world universities when compared to other board certificates such as the CBSE.
- ICSE students are known to be much more proficient in the English language due to the high emphasis placed on the same during the studies. This will help them in cracking tests such as the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) and TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) easily.
- The curriculum of ICSE is very well curated so as to provide better development of the students. Internal assessments are given more importance with practical assignments, projects, etc.
- The ICSE Syllabus also allows for more choices in subjects as electives etc. which means that students can focus more on their interest areas.
Everything Comes Down To Preferences
When we debate on ICSE vs CBSE Board, we will find out that there is nothing much to think about and get tensed about in this topic. There is no such thing as a better educational board. All of them have their own advantages and disadvantages. But one thing is certain that today the educational boards in India ranging from the CBSE, ICSE to NIOS, and the State Boards are very well equipped and have a solid structure and future plans regarding the educational sector. The quality of education served to the students is of very high standards with not many drawbacks. Gone are the days when we used to think that the CBSE and ICSE epitomized quality and standards while the State Boards represented cheaper education. Quality of education is almost similar today and all the boards give due importance to important subjects such as science and languages such as English. The thing with ICSE is that they have been doing this since inception. But other boards have almost caught up with them.
So if you are a parent and have confusion in selecting a school between CBSE and ICSE, hope this was able to help you out. Both boards provide an excellent education to our young ones. They together form an extremely vital part of a larger context known as the Indian Education System. Efforts can be made by the government to make a unique board in India by picking up the merits of both these top boards. This will give rise to a single powerful educational board that can provide the same standards of education throughout the country thus enabling access to high-quality education for all the children in the country.