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Primary differences between CBSE Board Schools and International Schools
While deciding on which board of education to choose for their child, parents often seem undecided and perplexed. Which is better, an international school or a state/national board school? The questions are never-ending. While many do have a sound idea about what an Indian board school is like, a good portion of the populace do not have an inkling about international schools and their curriculum. This article aims to highlight CBSE board schools and international boards and the primary differences between them.
Types of students studying in CBSE and International Schools:
CBSE is one of the most popular boards in India and is also the national board of education in our country. The CBSE board which is under the jurisdiction of the Indian government, is in charge of promoting educational excellence in public and private schools and maintains uniformity in the education system and standards all over the country. Because of its extensive all India presence, parents get their children admitted into CBSE schools because it provides flexibility for the parents, especially those who have transferable jobs and keep moving from one city to another. Such parents can shift their child to any other CBSE school in another city without any difficulty, owing to the presence of CBSE schools in all cities and the uniformity in education curriculum that they maintain.
International schools also offer the same flexibility among major cities of India in addition to catering to foreign students, members of expatriate communities, and international businesses or organizations. International schools aim to give diverse and challenging educational experiences to their students. Graduating from an international school entitles students for admission to Indian universities and opens up more opportunities for students who aim to get through international universities. This is because many foreign universities/colleges recognize the curriculum of international schools but do not accept the curriculum of the national board of the host country. This is especially true of the IGCSE and A Levels curricula which are highly regarded around the world.
Environment of an International school vs a CBSE school:
One of the advantageous points of studying at International schools is that they help to build global citizens who get a global perspective and can adapt themselves anywhere. Such schools are a melting pot of cultures offering a multicultural environment where students from different backgrounds study. This is indeed a great advantage, as the students gradually develop the ability to cooperate with people from different cultures. They are also able to understand, appreciate and respect one another’s values, behaviours and cultural norms and in the process, feel more connected with the global community. Through the variety of experiences that the environment of a good international school offers, the students develop a strong sense of awareness and be more open to multiple perspectives coming from diverse nationalities and cultures. The curriculum also includes studies on other nations, democracies, different political systems, global socio-political issues that make students more globally aware.
The curriculum of CBSE schools is less globally oriented in comparison and focuses on studies relevant in the national level.
Curriculum of international schools vs CBSE schools:
The curriculum in the best international schools offer education that’s in line with foreign education curricula. A particularly interesting curriculum is the IGCSE programme. The IGCSE programme aims to develop the analytical, problem solving and communication skills of students. This curriculum focuses on concept based learning relying on inquiry that fuels the curiosity of learners. Students are encouraged to explore the study material, ask questions, brainstorm, discuss and apply their learning in real life. Thus, the learning process becomes more enjoyable for students.
The IGCSE curriculum in The Cambridge School, Calcutta, offers students a plethora of subjects to choose from. Unlike other national curriculums that almost limit students into subject-specific streams, this gives students freedom to choose, explore and gain in depth knowledge in any subject of their interest. This freedom of choice actually proves effective as it boosts children to work hard in the subjects with passion and zeal.
Furthermore, the IGCSE curriculum focuses on skill development, creative and analytical thinking and application. As a result, the students feel more confident and are able to solve practical problems with ease. This curriculum is also sensitive towards the students with learning difficulties as it helps them feel more confident and appreciated.
Unlike other schools from the state/national boards that practice rote learning, international schools encourage concept based learning and stress on comprehensive practical development of students.
The curriculum of CBSE schools is extensive. The CBSE curriculum provides students an all-encompassing knowledge of all subjects. The course content aims to be engaging and intuitive with fun exercises in between the course material to assist children in their learning, albeit in an organised and lively manner. The syllabus is easier to handle because of its compact structure and oriented in the pattern of competitive exams.
In the CBSE curriculum, the focus is solely on the textbooks and the teachings rarely venture out of them that might restrict the students’ knowledge only to textbooks. Being the state board, CBSE is also known to encourage “rote learning”. Since the syllabus is detail oriented, students are sometimes forced to resort to mugging up without fully understanding the concepts.
However, the CBSE board has designed the syllabus as such that it provides aid for students who are planning to appear for various competitive entrance examinations conducted at the national level. International school curricula also share this aspect. The methodology of teaching and the pattern and format of question papers make both the preferred options for students who want to crack examinations like IIT-JEE and NEET.
Teacher-student ratio:
International schools have a fixed teacher-student ratio, where the number of students in these schools are fewer in comparison to the Indian board schools. There are much more students per class in the Indian schools whereas in the international schools, the classrooms are sparsely populated. This is because international schools are known for quality education and individual attention. With fewer students, the teachers are able to give more individual attention to each of the students and student-teacher interactions are more positive based on understanding, cooperation and respect.
CBSE schools, on the contrary, are known for their large student capacity because of majority parents preferring this board due to its pan India presence and success rates in competitive exams.
Language skills:
In most international schools, English is the language of instruction. Moreover since students often come from many different countries, English is often the only way to communicate. The environment in an international school is therefore English-speaking in the truest sense. The top international schools of India also offer various foreign languages like French, Spanish, German, Japanese etc. Learning a foreign language from an early age sharpens the children’s minds, while giving them an edge over others.
In CBSE board schools, they provide the provision of teaching and learning both in English and Hindi and both the medium of instruction are equally acceptable. Hindi being the national language of India, a lot of emphasis is given to Hindi in CBSE schools. The NCERT textbooks are even available in both languages and this proves feasible for the students to learn in English or Hindi as per their choice. However in these schools, they do not stress on learning world languages as such.
With all of the above information in mind, it is important to note one’s preferences and expectations, while choosing the right board of education for their child.
