Different School Boards in India

For those who can’t decide upon a choice out of a number of boards, we bring here the solution by providing details about the examinations, assessment criteria and curriculum followed by different boards in the country.

Schools in India offer both Indian and International syllabi some of which are:

1. National – CBSE - Central Board of Secondary Education.
2. ICSE- Indian Certificate of Secondary Education
3. International – Cambridge University Programs.
4. IBO Programs and a few others such as – Ontario from Canada, EDEXCEL- From UK.
5. State Board- Approximately 30 State Boards.

National – CBSE - Central Board of Secondary Education.

• The CBSE board was started by the NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) with the aim to operate a chain of central schools (Kendriya Vidyalaya) that could cater to government employees who are in transferable jobs that involve mid year movements.
• The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is the most popular board in India , controlled and managed by Union Government of India. With around 19,316 CBSE affiliated schools in India, the board also has global presence with nearly 141 affiliated schools across 21 countries. 
• The CBSE Syllabus is very structured, highly predictable and, highly controlled
• The two major examinations conducted by CBSE are All India Secondary School Examination (AISSE) for Class 10 and All India Senior School Certificate Examination (AISSCE) for Class 12.

ICSE- Indian Certificate of Secondary Education.

• The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE)  is a privately held national level board of school education in India . 
• Has taken in a lot of structures from the NCERT.
• At Grade-10 as of now is the toughest board examination
• Almost similar to CBSE in terms of controls, difference being this is quasi Government.
• The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations conducts three examinations, namely, the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE –Class X); The Indian School Certificate (ISC - ClassXII) and the Certificate in Vocational Education (CVE - Year 12). The C.V.E. course is intended to prepare candidates for specific vocations.

International – Cambridge University Programs.

• Many schools in India are now getting affiliated to Cambridge International. Cambridge International conducts the IGCSE and AS & A Level exams. Cambridge International is part of the University of Cambridge. Cambridge curriculum starts from Primary, Lower Secondary and Upper Secondary to Advanced. This is called the Cambridge Pathway.  Cambridge Pathway gives students a clear path for educational success from age 5 to 19.
• Cambridge Assessment International Education prepares school students for life, helping them develop an informed curiosity and a lasting passion for learning.
•  Cambridge International offers a choice of over 70 subjects at IGCSE level and over 55 subjects AS & A level, which makes it one of the most flexible education boards in India. Schools can shape the curriculum around how they want students to learn. A lot of emphasis is put on English language and students are encouraged to propel their creativity through a variety of writings. Then there is additional focus on foreign language that is intended to help the children in the long run.,
• IGCSE exams are conducted at the end of Cambridge Upper Secondary (14 to 16 year olds), and AS & A Level is conducted at the end of Cambridge Advanced (16 to 19 year olds). Schools may choose to hold the examinations in June, November or March. The March series is only conducted in India to benefit students who wish to apply to Indian universities for higher education.

IBO Programs and a few others such as – Ontario from Canada, EDEXCEL- From UK.

• International Baccalaureate is a no-profit educational organization that offers prime quality programmes for children aged between 3 and 19. The IB schools are considered prestigious, at the same time expensive.
•  It focuses on Analytical skills, language, arts and humanities. The purpose of the IB is to produce global citizens
•  It has international curriculum where subjects are taught in an integrated way in order to avoid a fragmented approach. IB has a different approach with few textbooks. Students are free to explore the world.
• It has 3 sections, the PYP (Primary years program, KG to 5^th standard), MYP (Middle years program, 6^th-10^th standard) and the DYP (Diploma years program, 11^th-12^th standard). It has no prescribed textbooks delivering a lot of freedom in learning.

State Boards

• Each state has its own variance from the NCERT syllabus and adds up its local flavor. State government predominantly dictates languages taught and medium of instruction.
• Relatively easy syllabus for board exams.
• Age is another factor that varies from state to state.
• As per the new government directive, many state boards have adopted the NCERT syllabus for Math and Science in Grades 11 and 12. This move is aimed at a common entrance examination for Engineering and Medical colleges which is expected soon.
•  Exams are conducted in each class. In Class X, the students appear for Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and the Class XII students appear for the Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSC) exams. 

Boards of Secondary & Senior Secondary Education in India

State	Board	Year of Establishment	Administrative Set-up
Andhra Pradesh	(i) Andhra Pradesh Board of Secondary  Education, Hyderabad – 500 001	1953	Part of the State Department of Education
	(ii) Andhra Pradesh Board of Intermediate Hyderabad – 500 001 http://www.interboardap.nic.in/	1971	Statutory
Assam	(i) Assam Board of Secondary Education, Guwahati – 781 021	1962	Statutory
	(ii) Assam Higher Secondary Education Council, Guwahati – 781 021	1984	Statutory
Bihar	(i) Bihar School Examination Board Patna 800 017	1952	Statutory
	(ii) Bihar Intermediate Education Council, Patna 800 001.	1980	Statutory
Goa	Goa Board of Secondary & Higher Secondary Education Goa- 403 521	1975	Statutory
Gujarat	Gujarat Secondary Education Board, Sector 10-B, Gandhi Nagar – 382 043	1960	Statutory
Haryana	Haryana Board of Education, Hansi Road, Bhiwani – 125021 Tel.  91-1664-44171 Fax: 91-1664-41611	1969	Statutory
Himachal Pradesh	Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education, Dharamsala-176216. Distt. Kangra.	1969	Statutory
Jammu & Kashmir	J&K State Board of School Education, Rehari Colony, Jammu- 180 005 (Nov.– April) Lalmandi, Srinagar 190 005 (May–Oct.)	1965	Statutory
Karnataka	(i) Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Bangalore 560 003	1966	Part of the State Deptt. of Education
	(ii) Karnataka Board of the Pre-University Education Bangalore-560 001	1970	Part of the State Deptt. of Pre-University Education
Kerala	Kerala Board of Public Examinations, Thiruvananthapuram – 695 012	1949	Part of the State Deptt. of Education
Maharashtra	Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, Shivajinagar, Pune 411 010. Home Page : http://www.mah.nic.in/msec	1966	Statutory
Madhya Pradesh	Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education, Bhopal -462 011	1959	Statutory
Manipur	(i) Manipur Board of Secondary Education, Imphal – 795 001	1972	Statutory
	(ii) Manipur Council of Higher Secondary Education, Imphal – 795 001	1992	Statutory
Meghalaya	Meghalaya Board of School Education, Meghalaya-794 102	1973	Statutory
Mizoram	Mizoram Board of School Education Aizawl-796 012	1976	Statutory
Nagaland	Nagaland Board of School Education, Post Box, 98, Kohima -767 001	1974	Statutory
Orissa	(i) Orissa Board of Secondary Education, Bajrakabati Road, Cuttack -753 001	1965	Statutory
	(ii) Orissa Council of Higher Secondary Education, Bhubaneswar – 75	1955	Statutory
Punjab	Punjab School Education Board, Mohali -160 059	1969	Statutory
Rajasthan	Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education, Ajmer- 305 001	1957	Statutory
Tamil Nadu	(i) Tamil Nadu Board of Secondary Education, Department of Govt. Examinations Chennai- 600 006	1908	Part of the State Deptt. of Education
	(ii) Tamil Nadu Board of Higher Secondary Education, College Road, Chennai-600 006.	1982	Part of the State Deptt. of Education
Tripura	Tripura Board of Secondary Education Agartala, Tripura West -799 006.	1973	Statutory
U.P.	U.P. Board of High School & Intermediate Education, Allahabad – 211 001	1922	Autonomous Body under the Deptt. of Education
West Bengal	(i) West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, 77/2, Park Street,  Calcutta -700 016	1951 (Reconstituted in 1964)	Statutory
	(ii) West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education Calcutta- 700 091	1929 (Reconstituted in 1962	Statutory
All-India Boards	(i) Central Board of Secondary Education 2, Community Centre, Shiksha Kendra, Preet Vihar, Delhi- 110 092 Tel.# 91-11-2249602, 2249628 Fax:  91-11-2215826 Home page:  http://www.cbse.nic.in		Autonomous body under the Government of India
	(ii) Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations, Pragati House, 47/48, Nehru Place, New Delhi – 110 019. Home Page : http://www.cisce.org	1958	Registered Society
	(iii) National Open School A-38, Kailash Colony, New Delhi-110 048 Tel.#91-11-6481455,57-59 Fax:#91-11-6211453 Home Page : www.nos.org	1989	Autonomous body under the Government of India