What are the Factors to be Considered While Changing School Boards

by Nandana Surendran

In a country like India where there are State, National as well as International School Boards are available, parents need to think long and had before enrolling their children in a school. Often due to unforseen circumstances such as a transfer or the student not being comfortable in a given school board, one might need to change their child's school. There are multiple factors that parents should keep in mind when changing the school boards.

Timing is very important while switching boards. According to educational experts the best time to switch boards is in Grade 6, Grade 8 or after Grade 10. It is neccessary for students to spend the time in between these grades to understand what exactly they are capable of in a particular board before making the swtich. There is also the fact that changing boards before 8th Grade does not create much of an impact from the educational standpoint as only from the 9th grade onwards the curriculum of different boards are geared towards board exams.

While changing boards in 11th grade, the main driving force is the stream the student wants to persue and it has a direct impact their college and career. Sometimes, students have not decided on which subjects that they want to choose or feel it’s early to decide. Also students might not like all the subjects offered in a particular stream. This is where subject flexibility comes into the picture. Some curricula allow students to pick and choose from different sunjects, while a few provide pre-set combinations.

Given below is the sets that different boards offer as option-

  1. CBSE- 3 set combinations
  2. ICSE- 4 set groups
  3. Cambridge- 70 subjects to choose from
  4. IB- Any 6 to choose from over 5 groups covering 50 subjects

Another factor to consider is if the student plans on persuing higher education abroad. Schools which offer global perspectives in their curriculum offer your child a better chance at being accepted in the college of their choice. No curriculum eliminates the opportunity to study abroad, but a few curriculum options offer an edge. Students from IB and Cambridge are typically more likely to apply to study abroad as their boards provide an international method of learning and are more globally recognised when compared to CBSE and ICSE. The international boards offer more exposure with research projects, community service, and internships.

If your student plans on continuing studies in India, the process of approaching curriculum change is different as the admissions process in Indian universities is different from global colleges. Most of the major institutes in India have entrance exams, followed by an analysis of academic scores and interviews. For STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) courses, CBSE is considered to be the right choice as they have a theory based learning approach which prepares students for the Science field, especially in careers that require memory-based learning and assessments. ICSE is a close second but is preferred by students who plan on studying Arts and Humanities as the curriculum offers a strong foundation in Language and Humanities.

Last but not the least and agruably the most important factor is mental health. Enviromental changes play a big role in shaping the students mental health. Shifting from an environment where they know and are comfortable with their peers, to a new school where they may not know anyone, exposes the child to the feeling isolation, regardless of whether or not the board is the same. Mental health has a direct impact on the students academic performance and their personal life. Here talking to the child about their comfort level is a must and getting in touch with a child psychologist is a viable option.

All in all, the child will come out of the change stronger and more fit to face changes that might face in the future.

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