International Boards offered by some popular Schools in Mumbai

Hi all, this is Jaideep again. In my previous post, I presented a very basic definition and key differentiating point between IB and Cambridge programs being offered by schools.  Now let’s see how this is actually being applied at some of the popular schools in Mumbai.  Based on my research from the schools’ websites, the table below outlines the programs offered by the schools (as of August 2015):

School Name	KG - Grade 5	Grades 6 - 10	Grades 11 - 12
Aditya Birla World Academy	Cambridge	Cambridge	IB-DP
B.D. Somani	Cambridge	Cambridge	IB-DP
Cathedral	ICSE	ICSE	IB-DP & ISC
Dhirubhai Ambani International School	ICSE	ICSE & Cambridge (8-10)	IB-DP
D.Y Patil	IB-PYP	Cambridge	IB-DP
Ecole Mondiale World School	IB-PYP	IB-MYP	IB-DP
NSS Hillspring International School	IB-PYP	Cambridge	IB-DP
Oberoi International School	IB-PYP	Cambridge	IB-DP
Singapore International School	Singapore board IB-PYP	Cambridge	IB-DP

Disclaimer: If any of the information in this table is outdated or has changed, do let me know so that I can update this blog post with the correct information.  

So why are schools switching from one program to the other?  It is because they are allowed to, and it makes business sense for them to do so.  And why are most schools offering the Cambridge (IGCSE) program in the middle years and not the IB-MYP program?  The jury on this varies.  My research points to 3 main reasons

1. The MYP program is stringent and very difficult for schools to administer.  The certification requirements are difficult and there is a lot of preparation that needs to be done by both the school and the teachers to ensure that the school meets the requirements of the IB board and does not lose its accreditation.  
2. You do not get a degree certificate at the end of your IB-MYP term, and must proceed on to the IB-DP program to get a certificate that will be valid for college applications.  Cambridge on the other hand offers the IGCSE degree certificate at the 10th grade which allows students to switch to the local board (ex. HSC in Mumbai) for the 11-12th grades.  
3. Cambridge affiliation fee is relatively cheaper than IB affiliation fee.  This enables schools to charge a higher tuition fee in the middle years even though it may be cheaper for the school to administer the Cambridge program compared to the IB-PYP program (a.k.a. the business sense of doing this).

In next week’s post, I’d like to share my views on some questions parents should ask while selecting an “international” school for their children. I’d also like to share a Google Sheet with the boards offered by as many schools as possible.  If your child’s school is not listed in the table above, do share the program offerings for all 3 grade blocks of their school in your comments in the blog for other readers to view.  

Understanding International Boards at your Children’s Schools

This blog post has been written by my husband Jaideep. Having spent 2+ years in an initiative to set up an international school in Mumbai, he spent a lot of time studying this space in detail, and wanted to share his views on queries we repeatedly hear from friends and colleagues who are grappling with understanding the new boards being offered by schools in India.  

When many of us went to school in India, there were only 3 choices for school boards - 2 National boards (namely CBSE and ICSE) and 1 local state board (namely SSC or equivalent).  Today, there are more choices, and many of us don’t have enough information about the differences between them, and thereby find it hard to make the right choice.  In this post, I’m going to attempt to help you understand the 2 main international boards that are now prevalent in India.   

The Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) board is based out of Cambridge (England).  It offers a global curriculum right from  grades 1 through 12.  From Grades 1-5, it offers the Cambridge Primary program, from Grade 6-10 it offers the Cambridge Secondary programs (which includes the optional Cambridge Checkpoint examination at Grade 8, followed by the International General Certificate of Secondary Education or IGCSE examination at Grade 10), and for Grades 11-12, it offers the Cambridge Advanced program (which includes the AS and A Level examinations).  More information on the program offered by this board can be found here.

The International Baccalaureate (IB) board is based out of Geneva (Switzerland).  It offers a global curriculum right from KG through grade 12.  From KG - Grade 5, it offers the Primary Years Program (IB-PYP), from Grade 6-10 it offers the Middle Years Program (IB-MYP) , and for Grades 11-12, it offers the Diploma Program (IB-DP).  More information on the program offered by this board can be found here.

Schools in India adopting international boards are allowed to switch from one program to the other at Grade 6 and Grade 11, often leading to confusion about whether the school is an IGCSE school, IB school or a school offering an Indian curriculum.  For example, a school may be an ICSE school and offer only IB-DP (i.e. from 11-12th grade) but market itself as an IB school.  Most international schools in India offer the IB-PYP program, then the Cambridge Secondary programs (which include the optional Checkpoint and the mandatory IGCSE examination), followed by the IB-DP program.  It’s therefore important for parents to understand which program is being offered in the 3 grade blocks indicated above, namely KG - Grade 5, Grades 6 - 10, and Grades 11 - 12, and it doesn’t have to be the same!  

In my post next week, I will write about the programs some of the popular schools in Mumbai are offering.  In the meantime, do share your views on my article above, and what your concerns are while picking the right international school for your children.