Ignorant parents are fueling demand for ICSE board and schools are taking advantage of it. In a recent study in Bengaluru it has come to light that many schools who say they are ICSE affiliated are not exactly teaching ICSE standards or following ICSE framework. If your school still does not have a batch that is either taking up board exams this year or any of the previous years than you need to immediately check if your school is really affiliated to ICSE board here http://www.cisce.org/Locate.aspx
What Is ICSE board?
What schools are doing is not illegal, but it is not ethical, but hey it’s not a charity, its business right? ICSE board sets guidelines or framework or milestones on what the children should be aware of when he completes each grade. It does not actually say how to teach or how a kid must learn those milestones and what books to follow. It is the responsibility of schools to make their own curriculum to match with ICSE board recommendations. Schools always have to match and exceed the board standards.
Is your school really teaching ICSE?
One of the main differences between ICSE and CBSE is that in ICSE Science and Social are two separate subjects. In CBSE science and social studies are combined in to one subject and is called as EVM. So if your ICSE affiliated school has a subject called EVS or EVM, if social and science are not separate than you need to talk to your school now. Another important difference between ICSE and CBSE is Literature and Grammar and English, all these 3 are separate books and thought in separate classes in ICSE where as CBSE does not have a separate Literature and Grammar books or classes. If your ICSE affiliated school is not doing this, again you need to get clarification. ICSE teaches kids more practically then theory and ICSE students learn English language in depth.
ICSE or CBSE does it Really Matter?
When your kid completes his Grade 12 board exams and has to take up entrance exams, he or she will be competing with kids from ICS, CBSE and State boards. All that matters here is percentage, not boards. Kids who have prepared or studied ICSE and sit for CBSE exams will most of the time out rank CBSE kids.
The New – Integrated Syllabus
Since percentage is all that matters when kid chooses collage the best option is learn ICSE curriculum and take up CBSE exams. But most of the CBSE schools are now following ICSE framework and switch to CBSE by 6th or 7th grade. Seeing the competitive world we live in Integrated Curriculum seems to be the best. The next best option is Integrated Curriculum, where the best out of ICSE and CBSE are taken and thought to kids.