SSC, ICSE, CBSE, IB — She's been there, passed that

Education today has a diverse range of options, from the kind of school to the choice of education board. My father was a Priest in the Orthodox Church and hence was transferred to a different church every three years.

Though he had the option to settle his family down in one place and keep travelling back and forth from the church assigned to him, he preferred shifting to the new place along with us. So, every three years it was a new city, a new home, new friends, and above all a new school. Parents always want to give their child the best education. Mine were no different. In the process, I got the opportunity to experience four different education boards available in India — Maharashtra State Board [SSC], CBSE, ICSE, and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). Today I am a final year law student with a diverse background in the education systems in India.

I did my first and second standard at Mary Immaculate Girl's High School, Borivili and my third and fourth at St. Paul's Convent School, Dadar. Both are SSC board schools and like many other kids in my class, I too struggled with Marathi. In these schools, if you've managed to learn the teachers' notes by rote then you're sure to pass the exams. I still remember if we referred to notes from our friends in a different division the first question would be — "who teaches you this subject?"

I was an average student, and so I never needed any tuition as my mother would always help me. Bombay Scottish School, Mahim in my fifth and sixth seemed easy until I got into the routine of the school's ICSE syllabus.

Teachers stopped considering me as new. The syllabus was vast and there was a lot of reading and studying that had to be done to even get an average score. Of course, it was a respite that I did not have to learn Marathi anymore but I still found it difficult to cope.

When I moved to Mary Immaculate Girl's High School, Kalina, for my seventh standard, I returned to the SSC board system. This time I felt a difference. Except for my Marathi classes, I was doing well overall as most of the syllabus was already covered in my fifth and sixth standard in the ICSE Board. Even though I struggled with Marathi then, today as a law student I do realise that knowing Marathi is as important as knowing English.

When my father was transferred to Bahrain (Gulf countries follow the Indian CBSE system) I was admitted to The Asian School from the eighth to the tenth grade. The syllabus in this school was related only to the NCERT Text book published by the board. You can make up your own or the learn answers dictated to you by your teacher. Third language in this Board is taught from the sixth to the eighth standard and like most schools my school too provided me with a range of foreign languages to learn from. The CBSE system seemed well to me because I had the liberty to frame my answers.

Junior College had started trending when I joined Dr Pillai Global Academy, New Panvel. It was so different from what the other boards had offered me. It had mandatory extra-curricular activities that had to be completed within a dedicated amount of hours just like any other subject on the syllabus. Though rigorous I think I enjoyed every bit of it.

Today when I think of my education I wouldn't change anything about it. As a child I have learned to prepare for growth. Different boards provide children with different learning needs which gives them an option to choose from. At the end of the day, each board wants to help educate children for a better future.