Indian education goes global with CBSE-I

Indian students will soon be able to get certificates of international level without going abroad.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is launching its international brand, CBSE-I, on April 1 in West Asia and the Gulf to grant certification on the lines of the Geneva-based International Baccalaureate (IB) and International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), affiliated to Cambridge University.

About 25 schools from Oman, Muscat, Qatar, Dubai, Singapore, Kuwait and other countries will shift to this “international brand” of Indian education system in the coming academic session. Some schools in these countries, which are already affiliated to CBSE, will be re-affiliated to the global board.

While the government says CBSE-I is part of “soft diplomacy”, an official in the ministry of human resource development (MHRD) said it will help in making India a global brand in education. The official said soon the option of international-level education by a local brand will be available to all schools in India who can switch to CBSE-I.

“CBSE-I will take roughly three years to stabilise, after which it would look at India. We expect in the long term, people in India will also demand it. Accordingly, the option will be available to schools here.”

The CBSE announcement comes at a time when many schools in India have started opting for IB affiliation. It is believed that an IB certificate helps in getting into top international universities faster. IB has about 8 lakh registered students in 2,861 schools in 138 countries. In India, there are 66 IB-affiliated schools. They include Bangalore International School, Delhi Public International School, Dhirubhai Ambani International School and DY Patil School.

“CBSE will soon start the process of accreditation for its degrees in international universities and institutes, so that the Indian education system gets global recognition,” chairman Vineet Joshi said.

CBSE has prepared a new syllabus for its international students which will be on a par with international boards.

“The new curriculum will give a global perspective to students. It is expected to attract students from foreign countries as an alternative to IGCSE, IB and the likes. This curriculum will follow the procedure of continuous and comprehensive examination and will have no board exams,” Joshi said.