How to choose the right education and school for your child

Today’s parents are at a crossroads when it comes to selecting a curriculum for their children. Because of the myriad of choices, it is not only confusing but also challenging to choose the right curriculum, as there is no ‘one size fits all’. 

Choosing a board depends on various factors that are essential to consider before parents take the big step of selecting the right school for their child. These factors can be - if the child has more varied interests like art and music, rather than simply basic interests or if parents have a job that requires to relocate constantly or locally, among many other such factors. 

With these answers in hand, parents will be better equipped to consider the various curriculums and see what fits best for their child’s individual needs. To help parents with this challenging decision listed below are the offerings by some of the most popular boards available in India:

Listed below are the offerings by some of the most popular boards available in India:

State Board: Highly saturated and easily available across the country, the State Board uses a syllabus prescribed by the education department. This board prefers the traditional methods of rote memorization and assesses students' basis marks and percentages. In comparison to other boards,

State Board does not enjoy widespread international recognition and the training offered for global competitive exams is slightly underwhelming

CBSE: Just as state board, CBSE is also highly saturated across the country and prefers traditional methods of learning. This board uses a syllabus laid down by NCERT and enjoys a national as well as

international recognition. Students are assessed basis percentile and are provided with some basic training for global competitive exams

ICSE: ICSE follows the syllabus laid down by Inter-State Board for Anglo Indian Education and is not as highly saturated as State or CBSE, meaning it would take some research to look for affiliated institutes in Tier-II cities and towns.

The board is recognized nationally as well as internationally and uses application-based teaching methodology. The board provides a good level of training for global competitive exams and the students are assessed basis marks and percentage

CIE/IGCSE: This board follows the curriculum prescribed by Cambridge International Examinations and institutes affiliated to this board is mostly located in the metro cities of India. Students collect credit points for subjects they opt, and only after completing the required number of credits can they proceed to the next level. This board is well recognized across the globe and fully prepares its students for global competitive exams.

International Baccalaureate (IBDP): IBDP is an international board that follows the IB pedagogy and prefers to use inquiry-based learning methodology. Mostly available in the metro cities of India, this board places equal importance on academics as well as extracurricular activities to ensure holistic development. This board also requires students to collect credits for subjects they’ve chosen. A highly recognized board internationally, IBDP students are very well trained to undertake global

competitive exams.

So, how do students select a board that would work best? The answer lies in having some basic understanding of their higher educational goals and from where they wish to achieve it. For example: If the student is certain of higher education abroad, it would then be worth considering a board that is internationally recognized and prepares them for global competitive

exams. Such boards give an obvious advantage over the others.

However, if the goal is to learn from the best institutes across India, students need not really then consider a change in their board unless they wish to explore a different educational experience.

Both the above examples are however quite limited and there are many other factors as well to consider before coming to a conclusion.

Some of these factors are:

1. Experience with your current educational board: Are you satisfied with the quality of

education you have received so far, or would you like to explore new methods and

techniques that provide holistic learning experience?

2. Geography: While it may sound as an obvious factor, one must understand that not all educational boards are as easily available and affiliated across the country. Boards like state and CBSE have a higher saturation in comparison to international boards like IGCSE and IB

which are mostly available in metros. In such a case, is the family willing to consider a Relocation?

3. Assessment methods: Assessing a student’s skill and capability only basis marks is not a holistic approach. Students should be assessed for their critical thinking, soft skills, participation in extracurricular activities and overall growth they display in an academic year. Hence, select a board that gives equal weightage to academics and extracurricular activities

while assessing students

4. Preparing for the future: An extremely important factor to consider is the education boards’ability to prepare you for future education choices. Providing students with tools and techniques that help compete on a global platform is a necessity today to ensure students are future-ready. It would be useful to students and parents to understand if the board they are considering is offering the above to take them on the next level of education. There are no black and white conclusive answers. Ultimately, each student is a unique individual, and good institutes and boards are very important to ensure they realize their full potential.

Join us for the seminar to understand it better: 

Date- 17 October 2019

Time- 9A.M -10:00A.M

Venue - Mount Litera School international, BKC

Register here -https://forms.gle/bR7o5anZtShghxWKA