COMPARING THE CBSE AND CAIE APPROACH
Choices form the inalienable basis of the economics of the world -- is a simple caveat, yet its consequences utterly life-changing. With a plethora of opportunities in both curricular and extracurriculars that plague a modern scholar, the choice between the various methodologies of teachings culminated in ‘boards’ or ‘curricula’ can be a typical one and its effects far-reaching, forming one’s approach to problem-solving, exposure to concepts, the degree of interdisciplinary thinking and (the direr) the scope for further education.
Having being exposed to two increasingly different boards in the form of CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) and CAIE (Cambridge Assessment International Evaluation) in my school career, the transition has been an illuminating one. I was unaware of the nuances of such a transition while making a decision to switch, so here is a concise piece from a student’s perspective that might provide some answers to your ruminations.
The comparison intends to cater to high school students.
A Brief History of the Pedagogy:
CBSE is one of the most common educational bodies in India under the allied Ministry of Education. Within the CBSE, the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) leads curriculum development under the directions of the Ministry for Education. CAIE (Cambridge Assessment International Education) is one of the world’s largest providers of international education programs regulated by Cambridge Assessment, a division of the University of Cambridge in the UK. It is divided into four certification levels: Primary, Lower Secondary, Upper Secondary and Advanced.
This article focuses on the A-level certification provided during the Cambridge Advanced phase and does not provide details on the AICE diploma or Pre-University certification.
Catering to Individuality:
The curriculum endorsed by CBSE till grade 8 includes standardized subjects ranging on themes of Science, Social Science, Languages, and Maths that form the foundation for advanced, NCERT based education provided in the following classes. On progressing to grade 9, students along with these basic subjects choose an additional subject of their
choice to pursue. For the final two years of school education, students are required to choose between streams of Science, Commerce, or Humanities to specialize in.
CAIE does follow similar footsteps up to Lower Secondary education. Once students enter the Upper Secondary Program, they are allowed to choose 5 – 14 subjects (depending on a schools’ provisional capacity) with a First Language, a Second Language, Mathematics, and at least one of the Science subjects being the minimum requirement. On progressing to the Advanced program (grade 11 and 12), the students can take a minimum of three subjects to specialize in. The subjects chosen can be across streams, providing the scope for a mixture of Science, Humanities and Commerce subjects.
Subjects chosen can be studied for 1 year (grade 11/AS) and dropped earning the student one credit or can be carried for the second year (grade 12/AL) which provides two credits per subject to that student.
The flexibility that the Cambridge programs for High Schoolers provide in terms of choice of subjects makes them increasingly popular as one can begin specialization in their subjects of choice early on, without having to slog in those that fail to interest them. Moreover, considering how upcoming jobs are well focused on an interdisciplinary approach to tasks, the ability to combine various streams can make for a more holistic inculcation of knowledge.
Yet, a practical problem for such a structure lies in the ability of the schools to have the logistics to provide the students with all their subjects of choices without them having to compromise due to a lack of staff unlike in CBSE schools where the compulsory nature of subjects forces schools to staff for them accordingly.
The next part of this article would be published in the upcoming issue which would explore the ‘scope of education’, ‘education procedures’ and evaluate whether a transition is justified.
By: Ustat Sethi #mentorship #Ustatsethi #SCG #Coaching #SikhCareerGrowth #Lifemantra #words #mantraoflife #successmantra #interview #jobseekers #CBSE #CAIE #Communication #success
Ustat is a student of Advance Level Cambridge at The National Academy for Learning, Bangalore. Currently, she is on the editorial team of a science magazine, ‘Gxrls in Stem’ based out of Georgetown, Washington and is a published writer/poet. She is the recipient of ‘Young Writers Award’ at the National Katha Festival, 2018 and one of her haiku received ‘Tejas Award’ in the Cattails - A journal of the United Haiku and Tanka Society.
Disclaimer: Kindly note that the above blog has been submitted by members in their individual capacity.
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