How to select the right school board in India

The Indian education system has primarily 4 boards of school education, namely SSC, CBSE, ICSE and NIOS. Comparing each one will give you a clearer picture and help in selecting the right school board for your child.

Senior Secondary Certificate or State Board

A Senior Secondary Certificate is a regional board that differs from state to state. On completion of 10^th and 12^th standard examination, a Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) is issued under this board. The syllabus is simpler as compared to other boards, national as well as international. There is also an option for the students to appear privately. Regional language is compulsorily taught till 8^thstandard and there are little variations in the syllabus in each state. This could create a problem for children whose parents have transferrable jobs.

Central Board of Secondary Education

To overcome the drawbacks of SSC board, the Indian government set up the CBSE Board. CBSE follows a uniform syllabus throughout India. Hence, changing institutions is not very difficult. The board ensures that a Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) system is followed so that students study throughout the year and not just before exams, which is commonly seen in most of the boards.

The special feature of CBSE is characterized by Formative Assessment (FA) and Summative Assessments (SA). FAs are the tests conducted from time to time to measure each student's understanding of the chapter taught, while SAs are the term end examinations. The primary section is excluded from SAs.

CBSE schools follow NCERT syllabus and books and the emphasis is laid on Mathematics, Science and English. Largely, competitive exams in India, including entrance exams for medical and engineering, are based on CBSE syllabus.

Indian Certificate of Secondary Education or ICSE Board

Contrary to popular belief, ICSE is not an international board. It is a private, non-governmental board formed by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations to replace the overseas Cambridge School Certificate Examination.

The ICSE exam is conducted at the end of 10^thstandardand the ISC (Indian School Certificate) exam is conducted at the end of 12^thstandard. Alternatively, students can opt for CVE (Certificate of Vocational Education), two years after passing 10^th.

National Institute of Open Schooling or NIOS Board

The NIOS board is an apt alternate education system for students who cannot attend regular school for some reason. Students can appear privately for these exams and can complete 10^thstandard in their own time by appearing for a few subjects at a time. The board also provides a facility of having ‘on demand' exams which essentially means appearing for exams as per the convenience of the student.

As is clear from the above analysis, CBSE board stands out among all the other boards and when it comes to providing the necessary edge. Presidium Senior Secondary school is among the top ten schoolsin India and is affiliated with the CBSE board. If you are considering a CBSE board school, Presidium is the right choice for you.