Reviewing Different School Boards Post NEP

The National Education Policy or NEP has brought with it some drastic changes for the Indian Education system. Though the schools are given these directions as suggestions, they have welcomed these new changes and are trying their best to implement them into their curriculum. The NEP was introduced this July during the ongoing pandemic. The National Education Policy strives to change the entire system of examinations and school systems from a 10+2 to a 5+3+3+4 system for the benefit of students. With a new session and new academic year just around the corner, it has become necessary to see where the different boards stand concerning their curriculum. 

Here is a list of the various boards that are available in the Indian Education System:

• Council for Indian School Certificate Examination (CISE)
• Central Board of Secondary Education 
• State Boards

Council for Indian School Certificate Examination (CISE)

The Council of School Certificate Examination(CISE) is an eminent board in the Indian Education system. This board was registered in 1967 and has been active since. The CISE board was formed as a replacement for the Cambridge School Certificate Examination that was not an all India Examination board. CISE strives to provide to its students a high-quality education and shape them into respectable citizens of the country. CISE has the traditional 10+2 examination system which tests students in their 10th and 12th standards. The board itself consists of two parts:

• Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE)
• Indian School Certificate Examination(ISC)

The Indian Certificate of Secondary Education(ICSE) is responsible for conducting board exams of the 10th standards. Students have to appear for selection tests and the main examination which will determine if they are eligible to be promoted to the next standard. The examination has a combination of various subjects. Mainly English, Science, 2nd language, History and civic, etc. are offered by all schools for the exams. A total of 7 subjects are taken in combination for the exam. The final percentage of marks is calculated by only the best of 5 subjects including English.

Indian School Certificate Examination(ISC) is the section of CISE that is responsible for conducting the +2 examination that marks the end of school examinations before college. The schools that are affiliated with CISE offer various subject combinations for the final examination. The students are segregated into three streams Science, arts and commerce depending on the subject combinations they take. Students have to appear for a compulsory selection exam along with supplementary school exams before appearing for the final board exam. The final percentage of marks is calculated by best of four subjects including English. 

CISE offers a wide range of subjects that they can opt according to their future career choices. CISE allows the affiliated schools to develop a curriculum and examination system according to their own choices. Shifting to other boards is relatively easy and just needs a simple transfer certificate. The admission to schools is completely on the procedure decided by the affiliated schools. 

Read | How does a school affect the future of a child?

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)

The Central Board of Secondary Education or the CBSE board is another prominent examination board in India. This board follows a different pattern from the CISE one. This board came into existence in 1962 and strives to provide to its students an all-round education that would help them become successful in their future endeavours. The Kendriya Vidyalaya of the country is run by CBSE board.

The admission to the classes is done based on marks obtained in examinations conducted by the board. Admission to class 10 is not possible under this board. It conducts a Secondary School Education exam that makes the students on class 10 to receive admission for the 11th standard. The exam centres for all exams are different from their home school and are allowed by the board itself. CBSE has a grading system based on 5 points from grade A-B. Grades are calculated by Absolute and Percentile marks. The +2 examinations are also conducted at various exam centres.

Students are offered a compulsory 5 subjects with an additional four subjects if the students' choice for their 10th examination. A total of 11 subjects are offered by schools to the students of the 12th standard. They have to take a compulsory of five subjects with an additional subject as per the students' choice. Transferring schools and moving boards is relatively easy and requires only a transfer certificate. The schools offer students a stress-free learning system and allow their healthy development.

State Boards

State boards are exclusive to the individual states and are controlled by the state governments. Most of the state boards are of vernacular medium with a few exceptions. Admission to state board government schools are based on a lottery system and chances of getting seats are slim. Private schools generally use admission tests. They also follow a 10+2 pattern just like the other two boards. The rules and regulations of examinations and marks calculation depend on the respective state boards.

State Board of Secondary Education, Delhi is the state board of Delhi only. State boards also aim to ensure that their students receive a quality education. It offers five compulsory subjects with different elective subjects that are offered by affiliated schools. The marks are calculated by creating an average percentage for all appeared subjects.

We saw some school boards but, these are not the only ones present in Delhi. We will get familiar with the other boards in our part 2 article.