Indian vs British Curriculum – Which curriculum to choose?

As a parent, selecting the right curriculum for your child is one among the most critical and indispensable decisions that you will ever make. You have to be sure about your choice and be critical and rational, as their entire future counts too much on your decision. If you’re battling this constant apprehension about making the right choice to secure your child’s future, this blog is for you. Let’s understand the benefits and challenges associated with the Indian curriculum and British curriculum.

Learn more about the Indian Curriculum

Indian curriculum is a highly supportive syllabus and encourages students to aspire and achieve their full potential individually. There are two versions of the curriculum: the CBSE(Central Board of Secondary Education)and the CISCE(Council for Indian Certificate of Secondary Education). 

These boards of education are offered in many international schools and provide a prospect to students of all abilities and aptitudes to select from a broad range of subjects like Mathematics, Science, IT, English, Business Studies, the Arts, Indian languages and more. The Indian curriculum is now being recognised globally, and with each passing day, it’s extending its global reputation and reach more prominently. 

Advantages of Indian Curriculum

Competency-based 

Indian curriculum provides children with the freedom to pursue their fields of interest. Since there is no compulsion to follow a rigid set of subjects, children get to choose the subjects they are comfortable with and extend multiple opportunities for them in future thus making them more competent. This instils confidence in them and boosts their decision-making abilities.

Life-skills based

Indian curriculum emphasises incorporating a life-skill-based curriculum where a child’s overall personality development is assessed. It is focused on making students communicative and cooperative and preparing them to take prompt action in critical circumstances. The two types of life-skill covered under this are – general skills such as decision making, critical thinking, positive behaviour, self-awareness and more and high-level skills such as goal-setting, problem-solving, social support, communication etc.

The flexibility of choices in subjects 

Indian curriculum provides children with the freedom to pursue their fields of interest. Since there is no compulsion to follow a rigid set of subjects, children get to choose the subjects they are comfortable with and extend multiple opportunities for them in future. This instils confidence in them and boosts their decision-making abilities.

Multilingualism

Since India is a sociolinguistic country because of its diverse cultural history, multilingualism in the curriculum comes as an added advantage. Many educators believe that the inclusion of several languages in the school curriculum helps a child overcome the challenges and difficulties in pedagogic, environmental and curricular areas and promotes a healthy multi-ethnic and multi-cultural system.

Challenges or disadvantages of the Indian Curriculum

Since the curriculum focuses more on theoretical learning than practical approaches, it becomes challenging for the children who learn by doing. Also, many people find the Indian curriculum to be more bookish compared to other curricula.

Learn more about the British Curriculum

The British Curriculum is the National Curriculum for England that accentuates the three most essential aspects of quality education; creativity, critical thinking and flexibility. 

It is a highly-regarded curriculum accepted widely across the globe that includes a series of measurable and attainable goals with strategies devised to prepare students for their future work. The curriculum includes mandatory subjects like arts, humanities and science along with activities that encourage students to enhance their critical and creative thinking skills and real-life problem-solving skills. The active participation in courses, practical learning and holistic approach make learning exciting and dynamic for every student.

Advantages of British Curriculum

Well-defined  key-stage

In the British curriculum, the children study subject matter based on the Key Stages(or KS), which are systematised into blocks of years and comprise one foundation stage and five key stages curriculum.

• Early Years Foundations Stage: 3-5 years old
• KS 1: 5-7 years old
• KS2: 7-11 years old
• KS3 -11-14 years old
• KS 4: 14-16 years old
• KS 5 (commonly referred to as College): 16-18 years old

Globally recognised

• The British Curriculum is one of the most recognised and widely taught curricula globally. 
• A student-centric approach and properly balanced subjects provide excellent depth to the subject matter. 
• Assessments are done to ensure that children have comprehended and mastered the concepts and are prepared for subsequent academic challenges as he/she moves to higher classes. 
• The regular benchmarking of children is done by incorporating high-quality assessments and resources, which are an indispensable part of the curriculum.

Broad and well-balanced curriculum

• The British Curriculum provides structured learning to children. It guides them through not only the core subjects like maths, science and literature but also the subsidiary or electives such as arts, humanities and many more. 
• During their early years of learning, children will focus on building the fundamental concepts of their subjects. 
• As the curriculum progresses to a more advanced level, children dive deeper into their subjects’ more complex and nuanced aspects. They start relating their learning to other areas of study, thus exploring the multi-disciplinary approach to learning.

Focus on active learning

• The British Curriculum encourages children to participate in extracurricular activities and expand their learning horizons beyond academics. 
• From understanding the core principles of the subject to applying their learned knowledge in real-world situations, the curriculum promotes active learning for children. 
• The team sports, model UN debates, performing arts, STEM learning with Maths and Robotics competitions are an integral part of the curricula for developing leadership skills and solidarity, thereby helping them understand the importance of team spirit and camaraderie. 

Challenges or disadvantages of the British Curriculum

Although studying through the British curriculum will get your child a recognised and appreciated degree in the entire world, there’s also a good amount of stress and pressure involved because there’s too much to learn and significantly less time. The child has to finish a load of courses before proceeding to the next level, thus placing children in a challenging and stressful environment.

If you are more interested in sending your child to a school where much importance is given to activity-based education with an optimal amount of balance in theoretical subjects, the British curriculum is the suitable choice for you. But, if your child wants to have in-depth knowledge and is more oriented towards science, maths or subjects with a similar field of interest, then the Indian curriculum is a better option. 

Before deciding on a curriculum for your child, you must consider various critical factors like their learning style, personality, the field of interest, personal growth, learning outcomes and many more. Lastly, what you should always keep in mind and stick to is that there is no single correct approach to getting a quality education. Irrespective of what you select, you should confidently move forward if you’ve done thorough research and extensively examined the curriculum.

 

Make a smart decision for your child!