CBSE or ICSE, Who Wins the Age-old Battle of Supremacy? Find the best Comparison here!

People give very high importance to educationin India. Whenever parents of two kids meet, irrespective of the age or standard in which the kid is studying, the parents’ discourse automatically turn towards their studies! That sounds funny, but it is definitely a good thing as education is the pillar to a better tomorrow. Though parents in our country always try to give best to their child in terms of education, but there is always confusion for parents to choose between CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) and ICSE (Indian Certificate of Secondary Education) boards. Very few know what are the difference between them and their education patterns, and the advantages and disadvantages of their education patterns. Thus we have trief to gather some details about both education patterns to make it easier for you to select right pattern for your child.
Merits of CBSE Board-

1.       CBSE is more popular in India as compared to ICSE.

CBSE being older, more schools follows CBSE pattern syllabus and education methods. That is why CBSE pattern is more popular here. This will help you to find a school easily for your kid in case you are switching to new city in India. Also, if you want to travel abroad then you will find more CBSE pattern Indian schools outside India than ICSE. CBSE is recognized by Indian government while ICSE is not. The popularity of ICSE is growing day by day though. Thus CBSE is recommended for parents who have to move in different cities in India as part of their job profiles. CBSE has more schools in India and their children will not face any issue while switching schools.

2.       CBSE has less syllabus volume as compared to ICSE

Some students may find ICSE syllabus vast as ICSE have more syllabus and subjects. A sixth grade ICSE student will face 12-13 subject examinations, while CBSE student will face only 5-6 subject examinations.

3.       CBSE board helps more in engineering and medical field

CBSE is more focused on math and science subjects. This helps students for engineering and medical entrance exams better. Prior CBSE experience will be always helpful for students doing their medical and engineering preparations.

4.       CBSE has more Scholarships and talent search exams

ICSE being newer has got less numbers of scholarship exams as of date. CBSE has lot of talent search examinations for a student. All major competitive examination in India are based on the CBSE syllabus. For ecample, JEE (Joint Entrance Examination) main and JEE-Advanced, AIEEE (All India Engineering Entrance Examination), AIPMT (All India Pre Medical Test) etc.

Merits of ICSE Board

1.       ICSE has more balanced Syllabus for child’s overall growth

CBSE syllabus is easier as compared to ICSE syllabus. CBSE syllabus is focussed more on Science and Maths. While on the other hand, the syllabus followed by the ICSE board is more comprehensive and complete that gives all fields equal importance. For ecample, maths, science, languages, art, home sciences,  agriculture, cookery, fashion designing etc are all given importance. By choosing ICSE you are giving opportunity for your child to work on his overall growth.

2.       ICSE prefers to give more practical knowledge and teach better analytical skills

Compared to CBSE syllabus, ICSE is more inclined towards giving practical knowledge to the students. Their is an equal emphasis on providing theoretical a well as practical learning. This gives students effective understanding of subject, and they learn better analytical skills.

3.       In ICSE, student has more Subjects Flexibility

ICSE is having much advantage over CBSE in this. Students in ICSE can choose different subjects. Students ca also select vocational courses as per their interest. Whereas in CBSE, students have to follow pure academic subjects.

4.       ICSE prefers more student Assessments

In ICSE, the internal assessments are very crucial. More practical tests are conducted with all the subjects and scores. Thus ICSE gives more preference to lab work and hence it is more practicality oriented.

5.       ICSE board helps more on management carriers

The way the ICSE syllabus, its portions, its subjects and teaching methodology is designed, it is any day more helpful for students who wants to pursue their carriers in management streams, as compared to the CBSE board students.

6.       ICSE certificate is recognized around the world
Certificate given by ICSE to the students, is recognized more around the world, as compared to CBSE board. Overall syllabus of ICSE gives a slight upper hand in english to its students. Therefore it helpe them clear the scholarship exams better, especially ones that are based on English. ICSE is recommended for parents who have to move in different countries as part of their job and wish to enroll their children in international schools. ICSE is more compatible to the world as compared to CBSE syllabus. ICSE child will face less difficulty while changing his school internationally.

Common factors between CBSE and ICSE-

• CBSE and ICSE are both recognized by colleges in India.
• The main subjects taught in ICSE and CBSE are almost same.
• Quality of education provided by both boards is excellent.
• CBSE & ICSE both education patterns follows way of learning through experience. But, following methods defined in respective patterns always depends on the schools and teachers. Thus this can vary from school to school.

So, what should the parents do?
Both the boards, CBSE and ICSE, have their own merits and demerits. Parents have to choose the board for their children based up on what future they aspire for their children, and majorly on what future career interests their children. Parents always have concern with quality of education. Thus, for this, they should identify the best schools for their children, because whatever the board they would choose, ultimately the schools would play a larger role in imparting the right kind of education to their children.