Oh, this one is going to be close. Or, is it?
From our personal experience and what we learned after talking to many parents, we realized that choosing between CBSE and ICSE took up a lot of time and research. This is because both boards have very strong positives, which are hard to ignore and/or override.
To help ease the frustration you may face while making a choice, we brought the major differences between the curricula in one page. Read on!
A brief about each syllabus
The national level board of education, CBSE, is still the most popular board in our country. The Union Government of India recognizes it and is tailored to help children prepare for competitive examinations after school.
Indian Certificate of Secondary education (ICSE) is complex and detailed, put together by the Local Examinations Syndicate. Please remember that the Government of India recognizes the ICSE board, and the certificate is valid globally.
Salient features of the CBSE board
Let’s talk about CBSE in detail:
- Student-centric and child-friendly, the CBSE board helps turn enthusiastic children into well-rounded individuals.
- The syllabus is interesting and aims at creating a happy environment for children to study without too much pressure.
- Labs and practical work are a part of the curriculum but they don’t carry as much weightage as theoretical learning.
- CBSE is recognized globally and is a good choice if your child plans on pursuing higher studies in the Indian subcontinent.
- The board allows English and Hindi modes of instruction.
- CBSE board is more inclined towards science and math.
- CBSE schools usually focus equally on physical education and activities.
Salient features of the ICSE board
Let’s learn about ICSE in detail and understand whether it really is a better choice:
- The ICSE board mandates instruction in English and does not encourage any other language.
- It is student-centric as well but each course is detailed and well-researched. All chapters go in-depth and the concepts are far more complex than in CBSE.
- The syllabus focuses more on practical knowledge, especially when compared to CBSE.
- ICSE is recognized globally as well and if your child plans on going abroad to pursue higher studies, ICSE will help him/her at the foundation level. His/her base will be very strong for higher studies abroad with ICSE.
- ICSE board gives equal weightage to arts, science, and language. The scale does not tip in the favor of any particular field. Thus, children studying in ICSE schools are well-rounded and have more opportunities (professions) to explore.
- ICSE board is especially a great choice for children who want to go with English literature or arts.
- ICSE schools focus on physical education and activities as well.
CBSE vs. ICSE – The final verdict
Simply put, ICSE is more detailed and could be more difficult than CBSE board. CBSE is crisp and student-centric, making is slightly easier.
The call is yours on this one, thus! We recommend that you take your priorities into account and see which of them fulfills most. We are slightly aligned to ICSE because we think student must get the chance to explore each field equally. However, CBSE does not lag in this aspect either. ICSE is just slightly better!
We would love to know which one you chose for your child and why. Please tell us through Comments once you take a decision.