CBSE scores over English-medium in Gujarat

March 25, 2014, 12:43 pm


This is a trend that indicates the winds of change blowing in the field of education in Gujarat. Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has received about 100 applications to start English-medium schools in Gujarat.

In contrast, only 20 school managements have approached the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) for setting up English-medium secondary schools -and about 50 for higher secondary English-medium schools.

The demand for CBSE schools in Gujarat is largely due to the rising awareness amongst parents that CBSE provides a higher standard of education and better quality textbooks by the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) in comparison to the state board.

"Parents are becoming more aware that the Central board syllabus gives their children a distinct edge whilst competing in national-level entrance exams which have become mandatory to get admission in professional courses," says Hemant Shah, trustee and principal of Prakash High School, one of the first CBSE schools in Ahmedabad.

There are over 200-odd CBSE schools in the state. Five years ago there were barely 50 central board schools in Gujarat.

Earlier, parents in transferrable jobs or those settling in Gujarat from other states used to opt for CBSE. Now, the demand comes from locally settled parents.

"CBSE schools follow the NCERT syllabus which is high in quality and prepares children to crack tough entrance exams. In comparison, state board syllabus and textbooks are deemed not up to the mark," says Archit Bhatt, trustee of Tripada School of Education which runs both Central and state board classes.