All you need to know about CBSE Curriculum

If there is one sector in India that receives the maximum attention from the rural and urban masses alike, it is education. But the crucial question that troubles all parents alike, is whether they should admit their children in State Board schools or CBSE schools. Are there any essential differences between the State Board schools and CBSE schools? Parents need to make a thorough comparison of the two boards, before they make a decision. Delhi School of Excellence, Hyderabad  hopes to provide you with some  information about both the boards, so that you can choose wisely.

CBSE
Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is a board for the schools managed under the Union Government of India. CBSE frames the policies and curriculum for all CBSE schools in India and offers a standardized curriculum.

State Board
State Board is a board for schools under the state Government. Each state has its own education board for determining the standard of education examinations and evaluation for the schools in that state.

Looking for the top CBSE school in Hyderabad? The answer to this is easy – Delhi School of Excellence! Do you live in a remote corner of Hyderabad?  That should pose no problem! You can admit your child in one of the three branches of Delhi School of Excellence, set up in three different locations. With the proximity problem being resolved, you can rest assure that your child will not have to travel long distances or be caught up in traffic snarls. Presently, the school mentors students to pursue the All India Secondary School Examination, AISSE (Class X). Delhi School of Excellence attempts to explain some of  the essential differences between CBSE schools and State Board schools.

1. Curriculum: The  first major difference is that the education offered by the State Board schools varies from one state to another. The syllabus of study offered for class X and XII  may be different for each state. State Board schools  do not follow the +2 pattern. Instead, after completing the tenth class, students join Intermediate colleges. The Intermediate course is equivalent to the +2 course.

However, the syllabus followed by CBSE schools for class IX, X, XI and XII remains the same in all schools, whichever remote corner of the country the school is set up in. This is particularly beneficial to central government employees who face transfers even in the middle of the year. This means that there is no tension in the child or the parents, regarding the syllabus.

2. Text Books:  NCERT – The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is an autonomous organisation set up by the Government of India to assist and advise the Central and State Governments on policies and programmes for qualitative improvement in school education.

Every CBSE student has to follow the NCERT Textbooks prescribed by the Board. These books are compulsory and the same all over India for Class IX, X, XI and XII of the CBSE curriculum. NCERT textbooks  are known for providing information to the point and are easy to understand. When it comes to Board exams, reading NCERT books thoroughly is sufficient.

SCERT – State Council of  Educational Research and Training (SCERT) is one of the field offices of the NCERT.  It prescribes curricula and textbooks for the school and teacher training institutions. It produces instructional materials for the use of teacher- educators and also arranges in-service training for different categories of teachers, inspecting officers and teacher-educators. However, it must be noted that the same SCERT textbooks may not be followed by all the states. It has been observed that the State Board of Education of each state decides the contents of the textbooks for class X and these textbooks are followed by all government and state government affiliated schools. Thus students studying in a particular state board school  may have a problem in case of parents’ transfer or relocation to another state.

3. Perspective: CBSE tends to be more national in outlook, while the State Boards are more influenced by the social, economic and cultural differences of the population of the various states. It must be noted that the syllabus for the Science subjects in CBSE schools and State Board schools remains almost the same, while there might be a difference in the difficulty level.  . At the class XII level which is equivalent to Intermediate  Level in the State Board, there is scant attention paid to English, regional Language and  Social Sciences, while top priority is given to Mathematics and Sciences.  In contrast, along with core subjects, English, regional language and  Social Sciences are of a higher standard in CBSE schools
4. Board Examinations: Students studying in CBSE schools all over India receive the same question paper for all class X ( AISSE – All India Secondary School Examination) and class XII ( AISSCE- All India Secondary School Certificate Examination), for all subjects. Moreover, the date sheet i. e. the exam time-table, followed is the same in all CBSE schools all over India. But this may not be the case with State Board schools. The class XII level of the CBSE is equivalent to Intermediate  Level in the State Board schools.  The syllabus, textbooks, pattern of question papers and dates of examination may differ from one state to another. Students would obviously find it difficult to change from one State Board school to another State Board school.

The AISSCE exam for class XII  by the CBSE does not take into consideration the class XI internal exam marks. But the same is not true of all the State Board schools. Many State Board schools give equal weightage  to class XI and XII Board exams. This subjects students to more  pressure and tension, particularly when they might have to prepare for other national level and state level entrance exams. Moreover, in some states, only the Intermediate marks are taken into consideration for admissions into engineering and medical colleges.

5. Entrance Examinations: CBSE scores best against other boards of education for the simple reason that all the major national level competitive entrance examinations  are based on CBSE syllabus. The entrance examinations for both medicine and engineering are based on the CBSE syllabus and the questions are drawn from the topics covered in NCERT textbooks. With the pre medical entrance exam – AIPMT and the pre-engineering entrance exam – NEET being brought under the purview of centralization, the significance of studying in a state board school  has somewhat diminished.

Obviously, a state board school will prepare its students for the state level entrance exams. If the state board schools do opt to train their students for  the national level entrance examinations in addition to the state board syllabus, it becomes a double burden for the students who have to prepare for the state board final exams, the state board entrance exams and the national level entrance examinations. Thus parents desirous of  making their children study in privileged institutions like AIIMS or IIT/NITs should certainly opt for the CBSE syllabus. Though studying in a CBSE school alone does not guarantee a seat in top national level medical and engineering colleges, it definitely makes it easier for children to grasp, understand and remember the concepts better when they take extra coaching .

6.Teacher Training: CBSE offers regular teacher training facilities and guidance. Such a  facility is provided by the states too but they may not be consistent or of the standard compared to CBSE.  The State Board of Education  adheres to the state education policies regarding teacher recruitment more than desired, despite the autonomous status of the SCERTs. The CBSE has more regularized policies and that is clearly an advantage.

7.Student-Friendly: CBSE believes in imparting quality education, without subjecting the students to undue pressure. The course content in CBSE is planned with an intention to prompt students to develop analytical abilities and reasoning skills. CBSE regularly reviews and revises its examination policies and question paper patterns and is constantly devising  new ways like more questions with internal choices, greater focus on short answer questions, more objective questions, etc. which prove beneficial to the students.

The same cannot be said of the state board syllabus. The question paper patterns may not be subject to regular revision. Resultantly, the question papers become highly predictable and chances of the same questions being repeatedly occurring  is high. Moreover, question paper patterns differ from state to state, based on the relative syllabus for each state. Moreover, it has been observed that state board  syllabi and exams promote rote learning, with little scope for students to think, analyse and rationalise.

8. Subject Selection: Another great advantage is that CBSE offers students the freedom to choose a few additional subjects and the combination of subjects that they wish to study from Grade VIII to XII. This facility is subject to the availability of teachers for that particular subject in the school. Thus in India, CBSE could be considered to be more flexible than other boards. CBSE facilitates alterations and combinations of subjects to suit the needs, interests and abilities of the students. For example, the school can opt to offer its students a sixth subject like Computers. Thus if any student fails in a compulsory core subject i.e. Mathematics, Science, Social Science, the student would still be considered as having passed the class X exam. This is because the sixth subject marks would be considered and computed to make up the aggregate of 500. Simply stated it means that if a student fails in any one of the three compulsory academic subjects (i.e. Science, Mathematics and Social Science) and passes in the Skill subject (offered as sixth optional subject), then that academic subject will be replaced by the Skill subject and the result of Class X Board examination will be computed accordingly. This facility is also offered to class XII students. However, it must be noted that  it depends on the school to extend this facility to its students. At the class XII level, for example, if a student wants to pursue the Math, Physics and Chemistry  stream along with a skill subject like Home Science as an additional subject, it is allowed as per CBSE norms. However, skill subjects offered have to adhere to the norms of the CBSE. Moreover, skill subjects offered may vary from school to school, depending on the availability  of teachers, infrastructure and facilities.
9. Ease of Mathematics: From the year of 2019-2020 onwards, CBSE is conducting examinations at two levels in Mathematics. CBSE is offering the AISSE – class X Board examination students the option of taking up Basic Mathematics or Standard Mathematics. This is to help students who have fear of Mathematics or those students who do not wish to opt for Mathematics in their future years of study. Syllabus remains the same. Two different question papers are offered. The difficulty level of the question papers differ.
10. Recognition: Pursuing the AISSE – Grade 10 – in the Delhi School of Excellence helps the students procure an advantage over students studying class 10 from other boards. A certificate from the Central Board of Education enjoys international validity. CBSE is not only recognized by all colleges and academic centres nationally, but it  is also an internationally recognised board. CBSE Schools are in operation in Singapore, Russia, Africa and the Middle East. The CBSE Board  has created a ‘Foreign Schools Cell’ – ‘FSC’ to ascertain that CBSE schools outside India are given accurate and desirable academic and administrative support.

In view of the pulsating trends of  the global education scenario, it appears that admitting your children in a CBSE school would  be a wise decision. Parents stationed in Hyderabad  would certainly be making a smart choice in opting to admit their children in Delhi School of Excellence, Hyderabad. Delhi School of Excellence has excellent infrastructure, well qualified and experienced subject faculty, a wide range of  co-scholastic activities so that your children can pick and choose their favourite activity. The management is sensitive towards the needs of the students and ensures a favorable learning environment, combined with futuristic learning steeped in value based education. Delhi School of Excellence offers everything that you would envisage in a top CBSE school!