Choosing the Right Board of Education for Your Child

An education board must not just evaluate students on the basis of bookish knowledge but also on their co-curricular activities and their deeper understanding of subjects. It must help them make informed decisions on their university education and subsequent career choice. It should also enable them to develop sharp problem-solving abilities. Some of the top IB schools in Gurgaon have signed up for IGCSE and IB Diploma Program affiliation to fulfil these very goals.

On the other hand schools affiliated to CBSE and state boards in India also have a high number of students. How should then parents make a choice? They certainly do want the best for their children but may have limited choices in their area of residence and have to zero in on an institution before the academic session begins.

Here are some factors that need to be considered while choosing an educational board:

Location: Yes, this is the most obvious factor and it is not easy to find schools affiliated to different boards in one city. When we look at Delhi and NCR, majority of the institutions are affiliated to CBSE and state boards. The good news is that now you can also find an IB World School in Gurugram. The parents who do not have an IB school in their city but want their child to study in one should be willing to relocate or let their child stay with relatives in a metropolitan city with such a school. Some IB schools also have day boarding facilities.

Evaluation methods: Evaluating a student’s basic learning skills and knowledge of books’ content is not a holistic approach to education. Teachers today need to assess students for their soft skills, critical thinking, participation in sports & co curricular activities along with the overall growth they achieve in an academic year. IGCSE Board and IB Diploma Program give high weightage to academics and co-curricular activities in assessing students.

Getting ready for the future: Another important factor to consider is the ability of the chosen education board to prepare the students for their future education options. It should be able to offer students the tools and techniques that help them compete on international platforms. This is important to make today’s students future-ready.

Recommendation by a preparatory school: If your child is just stepping out of a preparatory school, the authorities may have some recommendations about her / his future education. The teachers at such schools also get feedback and reviews from their former students. They can therefore be approached for advice on the choice of an education board and the best school affiliated to it.

The complete process of learning and not merely the outcome: Looking at the pace with which technology is transforming the world, it is not easy to predict what it will become by the time children in primary schools today will graduate. There will be new careers and new verticals. Therefore it is important to develop their problem solving skills instead of just preparing them with theoretical content. Innovative teaching methods and inquiry based learning endorsed by best IB schools in Gurgaon seem to be the needs of our times.

Weigh in all these factors while choosing the board and school for your little one.

Author bio - The Gurgaon based campus of Amity Global School received its first batch of students in 2008 and has been helping young scholars imbibe the virtues of education year after year. A disciplined approach to academics, sports and extra-curricular activities is the hallmark of the institution.

Michael harley is a writer at Search Engine.