CBSE To Drop Its International Curriculum

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will discontinue its international curriculum (CBSE-i) from 2017-18, the next academic session. A circular issued by the board on Thursday directed all schools offering the curriculum, initiated as a pilot project in 2010-11, to shift their students to the main curriculum when the current season ends.

This will impact around 50 schools in India and 26 schools in the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia and other Gulf countries that are offering the curriculum. The course was a less expensive and quality-oriented alternative to programmes such as the International Baccalaureate (IB) and International General Certificate of Secondary Education.

CBSE-i was facing problems because of unavailability of quality reading material of global standards, reads a notification issued by MK Srivastava, joint-secretary, academic, research and training, in-charge.

“The matter of continuity of the curriculum was taken up for a detailed discussion in the meeting of the curriculum committee held in December, 2016…and the governing body,” it reads. “It was resolved to have a comprehensive review of the curriculum by a government consultancy organisation.”

According to the notification, CBSE-affiliated schools in India that have an approval for the CBSE-i curriculum and are offering it on campus are directed to discontinue with it from 2017-18. The students who take the course will be shifted to the main curriculum after being promoted to the next class,” it adds.

In Mumbai, the curriculum was offered by RN Podar School, Santacruz, for primary classes. Teachers said that they will move the children back to the main curriculum. “Luckily, we were offering it only in the primary section. So it will not be too hard for students to adjust to the main curriculum,” said Suman Samarth, the headmistress of the school.

Schools not affiliated to CBSE but offering CBSE-i have also been asked to drop it. They can also seek regular CBSE affiliation and offer the main curriculum.

*This article first appeared in Hindustan Times.