CBSEVsI CSEsyl l abus–Wh Whi chi sbet t erandwhy?
It is very important to choose from the two nationwide education syllabi - CBSE and ICSE. This article gives a brief insight of the merits and demerits of each of the syllabus. It will help you choose the appropriate course for your child.
I nt r oduct i on
The CBSE board is short form of Central Board of Secondary Education. Education. It prepares the syllabus for students up to Class 1. The curriculum is set by !ational Council of Educational "esearch and Training #!CE"T$. The board conducts India%s two nation-wide board e&aminations' the (ll India Secondary School E&amination for Class 1) and the (ll India Senior School Certificate E&amination for Class 1. *any schools are affiliated to CBSE syllabus.
The ICSE is short form of Indian Certificate for Secondary Education. It was established by the +niversity of Cambridge ,ocal E&aminations Syndicate. Syndicate. The council conducts an all India e&am for Class 1) called ICSE#Indian Certificate for Secondary Education$ and for class 1 called the Indian School Certificate #ISC$. ( common misconception is that CBSE and ICSE are both education boards similar to SSC boards of state government. CBSE is an education board but ICSE is the certificate offered after completion of the course and it is not a board. Still ICSE board is commonly used to mention this course.
Syl l a bus
The CBSE syllabus is a cumulative syllabus. The syllabus is prepared so that the contents are in a flow and lined with each other. or e&le/ in (lgebra/ there is introduction to numbers in one standard such as integers/ whole numbers/ real numbers and comple& numbers. In the higher standard/ there is detailed approach to 0uadratic numbers which is based purely on comple& numbers introduction. Similarly/ all the subects have a cumulative syllabus which helps students not to forget the previous contents. (lso/ this maes remembering simple. 2ne disadvantage is the length of the syllabus. It has vast syllabus. It includes numerous topics as compared to ICSE. (part from basics/ high end applications are involved which maes it difficult for the teachers to complete the syllabus.
The ICSE board follows the basics strengthening syllabus. +nlie in CBSE/ as a student moves to higher standard/ he once again has the previous standards basics in his new syllabus. or e&le/ in CBSE/ once comple& numbers introduction is over/ it is not repeated in higher standard. But/ in ICSE all the introduction is repeated and then 0uadratic e0uations are handled. Even 0uestions are based on the basics. This maes the basics of the topic very strong. This helps the student a lot of confidence when higher studies are involved. (s his basics are very strong/ half the ob is done.
Exami nat i ons
In the CBSE syllabus e&aminations/ mostly obective type of 0uestions is ased. The CBSE system deals with more one sentence answers. The maring scheme does not give priority to writing lengthy answers. It is mostly based on to the point answers and e&tremely relevant answers. But the syllabus in general is very vast. Thus it taes long time to study and prepare for the e&ams. The CBSE e&ams are considered very tough.
In the ICSE syllabus e&aminations/ there is a balance between obective and subective 0uestions. Both have e0ual priority or weight. 2ne important distinguishing feature in ICSE syllabus is the importance given to projects. 3roects are very important and they form the basis of maring scheme in the performance of the student. This maes the student e&tremely active and it improves his thining ability. 2verall/ both syllabi have their advantages and disadvantages in terms of the e&aminations conducted.
Us ei nc ompe t i t i v eex ami na t i ons Competitive entrance e&ams at the all-India level lie IIT-4EE/ (IEEE and (I3*T are completely based on the CBSE syllabus. If a child has completed his school with CBSE syllabus/ it becomes very simple for him to adust to the format of these e&ams as they are completely obective type. (lso/ +3SC e&ams conducted for civil services follow the same pattern. ICSE syllabus is particularly important for students who prefer higher education abroad. E&ams lie 5"E/ T2E, and 5*(T have a lot of verbal ability testing. I n ICSE syllabus/ verbal abilty is highly improved. ( lot of stress is given to teaching of grammar and increasing the vocabulary of the student. So/ ICSE is preferred by students who lie to go abroad for future education.
Va l ue
It is a myth that ICSE syllabus is more recogni6ed abroad and it has more value than CBSE in terms of giving priority. It is rumored that ICSE has more international appeal and it is of higher standard than CBSE. (ll this is false. CBSE is e0ually well accepted all over the world. It has the same standard as ICSE if not more. *any parents change the syllabus from CBSE to ICSE af ter 1)th board e&aminations. If your child is studying in one syllabus/ do not change his school to change the syllabus from ICSE to CBSE or vice versa. This will have a negative impact. Every syllabus has a different style and a different approach. It will be very unwise to change the syllabus in between.
Summar y CBSE syllabus and ICSE syllabus each have their own merits and demerits. *ost of the schools follow the CBSE syllabus as it is very useful for most of the competitive e&aminations in India. ICSE syllabus is preferred for English improvement and it is a simpler syllabus compared to ICSE. The choice is up to you to decide which syllabus is most suited for your child.
WhyC. B. S. Ei sbet t ert hanI . C. S. E. . . . . . ???
It will explain you why C.B.S.E is better than I.C.S.E..??? Both CBSE and ICSE have some advantages and some disadvantages over one another but still CBSE has less disadvantages as compare to ICSE. Both system laid stress on +pliftment of Educational system. But/ by means of their own. the CBSE has got many advantages over ICSE which is e&plained as follows7CBSE are more student oriented syllabus as they ept in mind the need and re0uirement of an individual child. But/ ICSE has more formula oriented and vast syllabus which is difficult for the student to understand. 7CBSE fully laid stress on the syllabus which are helpful for the students in the competitive e&aminations whereas ICSE laid stress on the computers subects which is very helpful for the students who want to do management courses but not for the students who are preparing themselves for the competitive e&aminations. 7CBSE teach English/ Social science and Science as one individual subect to their students whereas ICSE teach two subects of English/ Three subects of 3hysics/ Chemistry/ Biology and two separate subects of social science#i.e geography and history$. 7CBSE is the organi6ation which is well settled and made a networ in the whole India/ (s Every Indian is fully nown to it where as ICSE still not able to mae a big impact on the people of India. 7CBSE has introduced the new concept of 5rading System which is really helpful for the wea children who even cannot able to get 0ualifying mars in the Board E&amination are now provided with 5rades whereas ICSE has same system of providing mars to their students. rom all this points/ It is easier for you to udge that why CBSE is better than ICSE..8
Syl l abusofCBSESchool sorSyl l abusofI CSE School s:Whi chOneI sBet t er A comparative study of the CBSE curriculum and the ICSE curriculum dealin! with the syllabus structures of CBSE and ICSE schools advanta!es of
School Boards in India Befitting the manifold diversity which distinguishes India, children and their parents here can choose from a wide range of schooling options. There are many school boards in India; for example CBSE, state boards (like BB!", or est Bengal Board of
!econdary "ducation# ICSE Boardand so on. Schooling in India usually begins from $lass I, and sometimes even before that in the %indergarten levels; though it is the secondary ($lass & to $lass '# and igher !econdary or )lus Two ($lass 'I*'II# levels that matter most in deciding the future of a student. +aturally, students as well as guardians are often keen to choose the best school board in India .
Teaching in school boards in India is a three*tire programme based on teaching approaches, teaching methods and teaching practices.
. -pproaches are generalised theories like the $ommunicative -pproach, the Traditional -pproach and so on.
. Teaching methods are concrete structure based on the abstract approaches; most know of them are the /irect 0ethod, the !ituational 0ethod, the -udio*lingual 0ethod and so on. 1. Teaching practices are the innumerable classroom applications based on those approaches and methods. Both CBSE schools and ICSE schools , as well as other school boards in India , prepare their syllabi by choosing something and omitting the rest from this wide range of approaches, methods and practices available. $learly, there are some similarities and some differences between the syllabus of CBSE Schools and the Syllabus of ICSE Schools .
Therefore, we see, there are some advantages of CBSE and in some other cases advantages of ICSE . ence, nobody can assert that one of them is 2ust outstanding and
the other is complete nonsense. Instead, it should be the situation, re3uirement and other criteria about the student concerned which should decide whether to go for the $B!" !yllabus or the I$!" !yllabus.
+evertheless, in the admission seasons, whether $B!" or I$!" is best becomes the most important 3uestion for the students and their guardians. Before we proceed into a further and more comprehensible discussion on the matter, we must know the basic outlines of $B!" syllabus and I$!" syllabus. hat Is $B!" and hat Is I$!" In technical sense/ ISCE and CBSE cannot be related and compared together due to the category error9 in simple words they are not similar things. CBSE/ or Central Board of Secondary Education/ is a school board fairly popular among the school boards in India. CBSE conducts two e&aminations9 namely (ll India Secondary School E&amination or AISSE in the 1)th standard and the (ll India Senior School Certificate E&amination AISSCE in the 1th
standard.
ICSE/ or Indian Certificate of Secondary Education/ on the other hand/ is a 1)th standard e&amination taen by Council for the Indian School Certificate E&amination/ popularly nown as CISCE. ICSE/ held by CISCE/ is the e0uivalent e&amination of (ISSE/ held by CBSE. 2n the other hand/ the e0uivalent e&amination of (ISSCE/ held by CBSE/ is Indian School Certificate or ISC/ held by CISCE. Tae a glance below if this sounds complicated. School Board" CBSE #Central Board of Secondary Education$ : E&amination held at the 1)th standard' All India Secondary School Examination, or AISSE. : E&amination held at the 1th standard' All India Senior School Certificate Examination, or AISSCE.
School Board" CISSE #Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination$ : E&amination held at the 1)th standard' Indian Certificate of Secondary Education, or ICSE. : E&amination held at the 1th standard' Indian School Certificate, or ISC.
!evertheless/ in common use/ the board CBSE and the e&amination (ISSE are both referred to as CBSE9 and similarly/ the board CISSE and the e&amination ICSE are both referred to as ICSE. ;enceforth in this discussion/ we will use these terms in their usual broader meanings.
Differences between CBSE and ICSE
There are some maor differences between the CBSE curriculum and the ICSE curriculum.
1. ,anguage of Instruction in CBSE curriculum and ICSE curriculum The most important difference between CBSE and ICSE is the language of instruction.
. "ecognition of CBSE and ICSE The second difference between ICSE and CBSE is that CBSE is recognised by the
5overnment of India and ICSE is not.
=. Syllabus of CBSE schools and Syllabus of ICSE schools CBSE students are said to do better in competitive e&aminations. CBSE syllabus aims at obective nowledge which is tested in the competitive e&aminations. ICSE is rather broad and is better for doing graduation/ since in the graduation level we need to broaden our concepts. Thus/ a student from a CBSE school will probably do better in the English paper in a competitive e&amination/ while a student from an ICSE school will be more ready to tae up English honours in the graduation courses and will have better chances to succeed there. The aim of the student in life should therefore decide whether to get admitted in CBSE schools or in ICSE schools.
>. Environmental Education ollowing the Supreme Court of India/ a compulsory environmental education has been added to the ICSE syllabus. 2n the other hand/ the CBSE syllabus has no such environmental education in its course.
Benefits of CBSE syllabus over ICSE syllabus
There are some advanta!es of CBSE. Students who loo for these things in the school boards of India should go for the CBSE syllabus.
1. Credibility The first thing is that since it is recognised by the Government of India/ it has a better credibility in the Indian subcontinent/ often also outside it.
. Easier Syllabus CBSE has only one English paper/ one science paper/ and one paper in social studies. 2n the other hand/ a ICSE student has to read two papers in English/ three different science papers #3hysics/ Chemistry and Biology$ and two for the social sciences #;istory and 5eography$. The CBSE syllabus is naturally easier to learn and remember for the students than the ICSE
syllabus. =. Entrance E&amination riendly The pattern of the entrance e&aminations lie 3*T and IIT-4EE are based on the CBSE syllabus since CBSE taes all these e&aminations. Students from the CBSE curriculum therefore do not re0uire taing any special preparation/ while those from the ICSE syllabus need to adapt themselves to the different atmosphere of the CBSE curriculum. >. Competitive E&amination riendly The CBSE syllabus is obective and easier/ hence 0uite student friendly. Its obective nature helps CBSE students in the competitive e&aminations. If one does not lie to be a professor and wants a clership in a ban/ he or she will not need to overburden his or her brain with huge syllabi in the CBSE curriculum. ;ence/ students of CBSE schools usually do better in the competitive e&aminations.
?. Scientific (pproach of the CBSE Syllabus The CBSE syllabus is more scientific and focused in its approach. The whole syllabus of CBSE is divided into shorter units. Every unit then has been allotted a certain number of classes or periods. This is also followed in some state boards lie that of the
@. ocus on 3hysical Sills in the CBSE Syllabus The CBSE curriculum includes physical e&tra curricular activities lie indoor and outdoor games and sports. It has a wide networ both in the state level and in the national level.
Benefits of ICSE syllabus over CBSE syllabus
There are some advanta!es of ICSE. Students who loo for these things in the school boards of India should go for the ICSE syllabus.
1. Sip Bridge Courses The first advantage is that it is well recognised by a number of foreign educational institutions.
It is considered e0uivalent to the highest e&aminations of the secondary school outside India. ;ence/ a student from the CISSE curriculum/ clearing ICSE or ISC/ can sip the bridge courses and tests while applying for a plus two course abroad or for the graduation in a foreign college. !evertheless/ +C(S nowadays recognised CBSE ust lie ICSE. . Aetailed Syllabus/ 5ood for uture (cademicians The syllabus of ICSE schools is much elaborated than the syllabus of CBSE schools . or e&le/ ICSE offers two papers in English/ three different science papers #3hysics/ Chemistry and Biology$ and two for the social sciences #;istory and 5eography$. 2n the other hand/ CBSE has only one English paper/ one science paper/ and one paper in social studies. Thus/ ICSE provides the students with a more detailed nowledge. ICSE is therefore good for taing up honours in graduation courses and become future academicians/ woring right from the school level to the university levels. ICSE students have better depths in various subects/ while most of the CBSE students lac this due to the short syllabus.
=. ICSE Aevelops Communication Sills The ICSE curriculum includes intellectual e&tra curricular activities lie essay writing competitions and debate competitions/ both in the state level and in the national level. It also encourages group discussions/ class debates and other such things which certainly develop and enhance the communication sills and soft sills of the students of the ICSE schools. >. Better English English is undoubtedly the global language today #even you are reading this in English$ and ICSE syllabus focuses more on it than the CBSE syllabus. Students of the ICSE syllabus have better reading and writing competences in English than those of the CBSE syllabus. ;ence/ they do not usually f ace communication problems or other ind of troubles anywhere. 3ersonally/ I have seen some CBSE students who were very good on their respective fields of study/ but could not clear interviews as 0uestions were ased there in English/ and situations demanded good English conversational sills.
CBSE or ICSE: A Final Suggestion Schoolin! in India is often/ most unfortunately/ defined obectively and not according to subective necessities. This has been said more than once before that choosing an option from the various school boards in India/ whether ICSE or CBSE/ or any other board/ completely depends on the choice/ needs and other circumstances of the student concerned. Tae a loo at the pros and the cons of both the schools/ and go for the one you lie. Still/ here are some generalised suggestions'
1. 5o for ICSE if you want to be an academician lie a school teacher/ a lecturer/ reader/ or professor/ a research fellow/ a scientist/ a scholar or something lie these. . 5o for CBSE if you want to clear competitive e&aminations lie 4oint Entrance E&amination or 4EE. (lso/ it will help later in ob seeing e&aminations lie those of 3SC/ railways/ various bans/ clerical offices and so on. =. 5o for CBSE if you want to be a sportsperson. CBSE will give you better chances to enhance your sills. >. 2pt for ICSE if you want to be a writer/ a freelancer/ a newsperson and the lie. ?. (lways go for ICSE to avoid bridge course if you have an aim to study abroad. !evertheless/ these are much generalised suggestions only. It is always better to tae opinions from e&pert career councillors to udge the abilities/ merits and chances of the students concerned before hasting into a decision. This is a decision on which the entire future career will depend. Therefore/ mae a wise choice
