Couples have to undergo a lot of learning when they become parents. They have to even unlearn many things since they will be witnessing the experience of their lifetime. Learning starts from day one since the time the child is born. They have the option to either learn on their own or take guidance & support from their near & dear ones.

Believe it or not, parents in India worry a lot about your child’s education and many starts thinking from the first day itself. Though pre-planning is good to some extent, it is essential that once the child grows up, the parents should also seek his/her opinions. The child also has to think about whether he/she wants to pursue schooling in India or elsewhere. Schooling in India is also transforming at a rapid pace where more stress is given to student’s creativity and less emphasis on rote learning.

There is a lot of demand for international schools in India and grown-up kids want to study in such schools since it allows them to learn & grow in life. The initial years of schooling are about molding the child and working on developing the basic skills in the child. Children witness a different experience when they enter primary or secondary education since this is where they start feeling the heat. They feel the pressure of competitiveness but a good school like Euro School that works on the Balanced Schooling philosophy ensures that children do well both on academic as well as the non-academic side.

Co-curricular activities are important since children get an opportunity to ponder their personality and think about what they want to pursue in life. It is all about self-discovery. One-sided focus on learning will result in good marks (in exams) but does not guarantee that the child will do well in life. Parents always wonder ‘What is the best international school near me?’ so that the child does not have to spend more time traveling.

Apart from looking at the facilities in the school, security & hygiene standards; parents need to take the call on whether they should select schools affiliated with CBSE or ICSE board. Some questions that parents need to ask themselves are:

• Is there is a difference between ICSE and CBSE?
• Which one is more beneficial for my child?
• Should I send my kid abroad for further education or not?

Select a board i.e. ICSE or CBSE depending on the answers to these questions. The English language is compulsory in schools affiliated with ISCE (Council for The Indian School Certificate and preferred by kids who plan to study abroad. It does not have an affiliation with the government.

On the other hand, the CBSE board comes under the Indian government. After class X exams, many kids opt for competitive exams and CBSE is the right board if your kid is enthusiastic about these exams. The overall syllabus is more aligned for kids who want to opt for exams like JEE, AIEE, etc. Parents have choices when it comes to CBSE affiliated schools than ICSE affiliated schools.

Parents have to discuss with their kids when selecting for a particular board since each board serves the basic purpose but depends on what kids want to pursue in their lives. You should choose the best CBSE school near by your locality so that less time is spent on commute.

Whether it is CBSE or ICSE, it is a joint decision that has to be taken by the parents and their kids as you do not want your child to enter into something that he/she does not like!

Joyce Laroche