Education is a progressive discovery of our ignorance. It forms character, strengthens the mind, increases knowledge which dispels ignorance. Education allows us to put our potential to optimum and judicial use. It reforms our mind and is the key to a healthy mind and a successful life.
School is the foremost fountain of knowledge children are exposed to. Schools help children to inculcate the workings of life. School education must facilitate the cultivation of a healthy thought process and groom our abilities. It must contribute immensely to the development of young minds as they grow up to face the real world.
Education in schools varies on various levels, one being the school board. The education board decides the curriculum and syllabus which is important for the children to hone their skills and get the right education. An informed decision must be made before enrolling a child in any education board.
CBSE VS ICSE
While there are many national and state boards in India, CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) and ICSE (Indian Certificate of Secondary Education) are the most recognized and the most opted for. They are recognized by all colleges and universities in India. Both of these encompass a lot of aspects involved in proper education for the child and a decision must be taken based on a child’s abilities and ambition.
CBSE is the leading national education board recognized by the government of India whereas ICSE is a private educational body. A total number of 1,75,299 students appeared for the ICSE examination while a whopping 18 lakh students appeared for CBSE examination this year. The following article will walk you through the functionalities, differences as well as several other criteria that set them apart.
Medium of Instruction
The first and foremost dissimilarity between the two boards is the medium of instructions approved by the boards. Whereas CBSE adopts both English and Hindi language as the medium of instructions, ICSE does not advocate Hindi and promotes only English as the medium to be used.
Syllabus and Range of Subjects
CBSE follows the national curriculum along with some additional subjects. CBSE is recognized by NCERT whereas ICSE has taken a lot of structures from NCERT and derived its curriculum. While CBSE is more inclined towards mathematics and science making it more appropriate for clearing professional exams like engineering and medical, ICSE is more balanced with an equal focus towards literature, arts and science. It relies heavily on languages and gives a good choice of subjects including home science, agriculture, fashion design, cookery, etc.
Difficulty Level
In terms of difficulty, ICSE tops CBSE because the ICSE syllabus hinges on multiple internal assessments and concepts taught in the classroom extend to practical lessons whereas CBSE focuses more on theoretical knowledge about the subjects. While ICSE also follows a higher level of English language than the rest of the boards, CBSE does not allow to have a special preference for the English language. A higher level of English level in ICSE assists students to perform better in exams like TOEFL.
Transferability
If a child needs to travel frequently around cities due to family, it’d be difficult to continue education in ICSE since there aren’t a lot of ICSE schools in the country. However, since CBSE is officially recognized by the government, many schools across the nation have adapted to CBSE which makes it easier to enroll in a CBSE affiliated school in a new city.
Private Candidature
CBSE allows candidates not affiliated to CBSE or non-regular candidates to give the year-end examination which gives a chance to those students who couldn’t attend school due to any reason whereas ICSE does not allow students not from ICSE to appear for examinations.
What Board Must You Choose and Why?
The choice that everyone makes has to be considered individually as every child is different and have different ways and pace of learning with different ambition for the future. Both these boards will provide a different kind of exposure but the choice has to be prudent based on their aim and ambition for the future.
A child inclined towards mathematics and science to pursue engineering or medical must opt for CBSE as it gives you a quality education based on theories. However, if a student identifies language and humanities as his/her forte, ICSE must be picked as it focuses strongly on these subjects and helps to velar exams such as IELTS and TOEFL.
To read more on this topic, follow CBSE vs ICSE .
Conclusion
Among various other boards in our country, our discussing these two already prove that they stand out and are the best in their own ways. A choice must be made by keeping in mind a child’s abilities and ambition. But everyone must remember that while the syllabus is important for a child to hone its skills and get the right education, a good school and the quality of education a child is receiving should be prioritized even more. School is a building that has four walls with tomorrow inside.
Written by - Riya Chhikara
Edited by - Vaibhav Sharma
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