I am a Zimbabwean settled in India. My two sons are studying in a boarding school affiliated to ICSE board. I would like to know what is the difference between ICSE and CBSE. Which board is of higher standard and which is more beneficial? Will my sons have a problem if they join the CBSE stream after class X, as their boarding school is only up to class X?
ICSE is conducted by the Council for Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE). Basically, it is a replacement of the earlier Overseas Cambridge School Certificate Examination. The quality of education of school affiliated to CISCE is high and the examination standard is tougher. CBSE has a large number of schools affiliated to it – public schools as well as government schools – and the papers are easier, taking into consideration the fact that even students from poor background attending government schools take this exam. The advantage of CBSE board is that most of the institutions in India take CBSE syllabus as the basis for entrance exam – from National Defence Academy to medical colleges. In fact, CBSE even has a fixed number of seats reserved for its meritorious students in medical and engineering colleges. However, this is not to say that CBSE is the only board. In fact, almost every state in the country has its own board.
Picture Credit : Google