7 Facts That Nobody Told You About ICSE Schools.

ICSE – a curriculum that prepares students for the challenges of modern life

Education is the journey towards human transformation and any learning that doesn’t cater to the whole of the human being is incomplete. This is the reason why it is important to choose a curriculum that covers the widest range of human knowledge.

The curriculum is the core of the education system and choosing the right curriculum is the key to the holistic growth of the child.

A curriculum that is balanced and gives equal importance to all aspects of life holds a better promise for the development of students into more empathetic and enterprising human beings.

That is the promise the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) holds and this coupled with a conducive and nurturing school environment allows the children to realise their true potential.

At Sherwood High, the experience we create for our children resonates with the ideals ICSE stands for, it is a schooling experience that is Indian at heart and universal in appeal!

There are around 2,300 CISCE-affiliated schools in India and we are proud to be part of this growing and nurturing family.

Here is why you should choose ICSE over any other curriculum for your children’s brighter future:

Life in Focus

In the ICSE curriculum, Life is at the center of all the learning and experiences that the students go through. It is a curriculum that is designed to prepare students for the challenges of life rather than just studying for marks and grades.  

Equal Importance

ICSE focuses as much on the text and theoretical learning as it does on socially useful productive work. In ICSE schools, no subject is more important than others, which means humanities and social sciences get as much importance as physics, chemistry, maths and biology. 

At the same time, the ICSE curriculum is not just vast and extensive, but the teaching methodology it adopts is also application-based which the students find more relevant and relatable. The method calls for greater involvement of children, which focuses more on learning rather than just focusing on memorisation.

Rich Legacy

The ICSE has a legacy that goes back more than a century as it evolved from the historic IGCSE, deriving its key elements, structure, and philosophy of learning from the world-renowned Cambridge schooling system that was prevalent in India during the colonial British rule. However, it is deeply rooted to the soil of India, with enough scope to incorporate local flavours and cultures as well as absorbing prevalent national themes and influences.  

Internationally Recognised 

The ICSE accreditation certificate issued after completion of the Class 10 examination is not just comparable to all other nationally recognised boards, but it is accepted by most of the foreign higher institutions because it can be compared to other foreign high school diplomas.

It is specially useful, if your child wishes to pursue higher education abroad. Since it is derived from a Cambridge schooling system, the ICSE education is most suitable and adaptable to foreign universities.  

Dynamic and Practical

Compared to other curricula that prepare the students merely for competitive exams, ICSE focuses on preparing learners for life.

The content of the curriculum is explained in minute details on a topic-by-topic basis gives students better understanding and a firmer grip on the subject. 

The structure of the ICSE curriculum requires students to go beyond textbooks with greater focus on experiments in the lab as well as practical experiences. This gives students hands-on understanding of the concepts learned in the classroom. 

Additionally, greater importance is given to practical projects, research work and learning through group activities.

Better Future

ICSE curriculum combines the best of all the internationally renowned education systems and puts together a learning method that satisfies inquisitive and analytical minds, giving learners global exposure in all fields. 

Additionally, the curriculum sets the best foundation in English, giving ICSE students a clear advantage over other Indian students in international language tests such as TOEFL and IELTS. This comes in handy for entry into international universities.

Socially Connected

The ICSE syllabus is comprehensive, yet the design of the curriculum ensures that most of the work is done at school and students take home almost no academic work. This means, the learners have more time for more enriching family and social experiences. This also means they will have more quality time to pursue their interests out of school, while parents also feel less burdened and more connected with their children.

So, how did such a comprehensive schooling system come into being?

Here is some history…

In the aftermath of independence, India needed an education system that represented the national dreams of a young country while at the same time catered to the country’s global aspirations, out of this was born the ICSE curriculum.

India’s first Education Minister, Moulana Abul Kalam Azad, and Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, together aspired to build an education system that developed the true essence of a human being, catering both to the spiritual and material growth of the Indian citizens, which would then help build a balanced and compassionate Indian society. 

In 1952, an All India Certificate Examinations Conference was conducted under the chairmanship of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. The primary objective of the conference was to explore whether an All India Examination should replace the overseas Cambridge School Certificate Examination that was in place at that time.

At a subsequent meeting of the Inter-State Board for Anglo-Indian Education in October 1956, a proposal was adopted to establish an Indian Council to administer the University of Cambridge Examination in India and to find the best way to adapt the curriculum to the country’s needs. 

The Council’s first meeting was conducted on November 3, 1958 and it was incorporated as a society in December 1967 under the Societies Registration Act of 1860. Thus, the ICSE curriculum was established.