Curriculum

Why Do We Prefer I C S E Syllabus?

EXPLANATIO BY Fr.Binu Valavumkal

In India people give higher importance to education. Parents always try to give best to their child in terms of education without considering the cost. When the State Syllabus lost its attraction among the people the Central Syllabi got upper hand over State Syllabus. Then there arose confusion among parents to choose between C B S E and I C S E. Very few know what the differences are between them and the advantages and disadvantages of their education pattern. In some sectors a false propaganda is spread against I C S E syllabus that deceives the children and parents. In that context here I try to bring out the main features and advantages of I C S E Syllabus.

The I C S E is a short form of Indian Certificate for Secondary Education. It is the certificate offered after completion of the course and it is not a board. The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (C I S C E) conducts I C S E and I S C examinations. I C S E for class X and I S C for class XII. C I S C E is a private board of school education in India. It was set up to administer the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate’s examinations in India. It is based in New Delhi.

I C S E syllabus has a lot of advantages over other Syllabuses in India. It is particularly important for students who prefer higher education abroad. Exams like TOFEL, GMAT, G R E and I E L T S have a lot of verbal ability testing. In I C S E syllabus, verbal ability is highly improved. A lot of stress is given to teaching of grammar, and increasing the vocabulary of the student. It introduces two papers for English and it gives upper hand in English to their students over other children. I C S E and I S C certificates are recognized more around the world especially in commonwealth countries compared to C B SE.

Students in I C S E can choose different subjects. I C S E Syllabus is more comprehensive and complete which treats Science, Maths, Languages, Arts, Agriculture, Cookery etc with equal importance. The I C S E children have the ability to look at multiple options and to, cope with higher studies in India. It teaches them to think outside the box and applied use of various subjects.

Compared to C B S E, I C S E is more towards giving practical knowledge to the students and they develop better analytical Skills. Unlike in CBSE, as a student moves to higher standard,  he once again has a previous standard’s basics in his new syllabus. Questions are also based on the basics. This makes the basics of the topic in the children very strong.

The only Indian Certificate approved by the British council for higher education without Entrance test is I S C. It is an evidence for its  international appeal and higher standard than C B S E and State Syllabi. For higher studies and competitive examinations based on English no other syllabus can compete with I C S E. First 20 rank holders of I S C Syllabus get direct admission to Birla Institute of Technology at Pilani.

However C B S E Syllabus is easier as compared to I C S E. There is a misunderstanding among the parents that C B S E Syllabus concentrates more on science and Maths but ICSE does not and for the preparation for Medical and Engineering Entrance Examination CBSE is more helpful. So there is an exodus from I C S E to C B S E after the completion of secondary education. But the Statistics of the qualified students in the Entrance Examination of previous years do not support that belief. The percentage of the first 1000 rank holders in the Entrance Examination from 2007 onwards is given below:-