Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
“Stop sending children to CBSE.”
When Liver Doc posted that blunt message on X, it struck a nerve far beyond his usual audience.
After months of controversies involving CBSE’s On-Screen Marking system, answer-sheet disputes, re-evaluation concerns and questions over transparency, many parents were already wondering the same thing.
If India’s largest school board appears increasingly chaotic, does it still deserve their confidence, or should families start looking elsewhere?
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Across Reddit threads, WhatsApp groups and parent communities, conversations about ICSE, IB, Cambridge and even state boards are becoming more common.
Some parents are considering ICSE. Others dream of moving their children into IB or Cambridge schools. A few have begun asking whether state boards deserve another look.
The frustration is understandable. When students feel they are being held to standards of accountability that institutions themselves do not always meet, confidence begins to erode.
And honestly, it is not hard to see why.
WHY ICSE STILL HAS A LOYAL FAN CLUB
For decades, CISCE, which runs ICSE and ISC schools, has carried a reputation for being academically rigorous.
Parents often associate it with stronger English proficiency, thanks to “original Shakespeare” and more, detailed subject knowledge and broader academic exposure. Students are pushed to write more, read more and engage with subjects in greater depth.
Many educators argue that these skills help students beyond school, especially in humanities, law, management and communication-heavy careers.
For families frustrated with an education culture increasingly dominated by coaching and objective tests, ICSE often looks like a refreshing alternative.
WHY IB HAS BECOME THE DREAM BOARD FOR MANY PARENTS
If social media conversations are any indication, IB has become the aspirational escape route.
Its classrooms focus heavily on research, critical thinking, presentations, discussions and independent learning. Students spend less time memorising and more time analysing.
Malini R, a senior journalist with The Times of India, has been seriously considering moving her daughters to an IB school from Class 7. This year, she says, may have finally tipped the scales.
“I’ve always liked the IB curriculum because it’s far less dependent on rote learning than either CBSE or CISCE,” she says.
“Until now, I wasn’t ready to move my daughters out of their Delhi Public School branch. I wasn’t even considering the Delhi State Board as an alternative. But after everything that happened with CBSE this year, and more importantly, the lack of accountability that followed, I’m almost convinced that it’s time to switch boards,” she says.
For parents worried that traditional schooling is failing to prepare children for the modern world, IB represents something different.
It is also widely recognised by universities abroad, making it particularly attractive for families considering overseas education.
WHY CAMBRIDGE APPEALS TO AMBITIOUS FAMILIES
Cambridge programmes, including IGCSE and A Levels, have built a strong international reputation.
Unlike broader school systems, Cambridge allows students to specialise earlier and develop deeper expertise in subjects linked to their future goals.
For students targeting universities in the United Kingdom and other international destinations, that specialised approach can be a major advantage.
Many parents also see Cambridge as offering stronger analytical and application-based learning than traditional rote-heavy systems.
EVEN STATE BOARDS HAVE STRENGTHS PEOPLE IGNORE
State boards rarely enter elite education debates, but they educate the overwhelming majority of Indian students.
In many states, they remain affordable, accessible and deeply connected to local communities.
Several state boards have consistently produced successful engineers, doctors, civil servants and entrepreneurs despite receiving far less attention than national or international boards.
For families studying in regional languages, state boards can also offer a level of comfort and accessibility that international curricula simply cannot match.
SO WHY ISN’T EVERYONE LEAVING CBSE?
Despite the frustration that parents and students feel, leaving CBSE is far easier to talk about than to actually do. Because wanting to leave and being able to leave are two very different things.
There are a couple of major obstacles to note. First is the number of schools.
CBSE serves roughly 33,000 schools across India.
CISCE has around 2,400 to 2,750 schools.
Cambridge operates in a little over 1,000 schools.
India has only about 270 IB schools.
Meanwhile, state boards dominate the education landscape, accounting for the overwhelming majority of India’s 1.49 million schools through government and aided institutions.
Even before parents begin comparing fees, admissions or locations, one reality becomes obvious.
In simple terms, there are not enough IB or Cambridge schools for even a fraction of CBSE students to move into them.
Even if every parent suddenly wanted to switch, the infrastructure does not exist.
THE COST OF ESCAPING CBSE
Then there is the other hurdle — money.
IB and Cambridge schools are often concentrated in major cities and tend to charge significantly higher fees than most CBSE or state-board schools.
For upper-middle-class urban families living in metro cities, these options may be realistic. But for millions of others, it is not.
Nevertheless, for parents who can afford it, it seems like a small price to pay for their child’s future.
Malini acknowledges that an IB education comes at a significantly higher cost, but believes the trade-off may be worth it. “Yes, it’s more expensive, but at least the system feels more transparent and accountable. As a parent, that’s becoming increasingly important to me.”
The cost question is one of the major reasons why discussions about abandoning CBSE sometimes reveal a divide between what is theoretically possible and what is practically accessible to the Indian society at large.
THE COMPETITIVE EXAM PROBLEM
Then comes the biggest obstacle of all — India’s entrance examination ecosystem.
JEE, NEET and many other national-level examinations continue to draw heavily from NCERT-based learning.
For students preparing without expensive coaching, studying in a board that broadly aligns with those examinations remains an important advantage.
Moving to another board can sometimes mean gaining certain skills while losing that alignment.
Parents may admire IB’s critical thinking model or Cambridge’s subject depth, but many still end up asking a brutally practical question if the plan is to pursue higher education in India: Will this help my child crack the exam they need?
It is a difficult trade-off and for now, that question keeps countless families tied to CBSE.
THE REAL DEBATE
The growing interest in alternatives to CBSE boards is not really about whether ICSE, IB, Cambridge or state boards are better. Parents have not suddenly discovered that other boards exist.
It is about trust. What has changed is confidence.
Parents are not necessarily demanding international curricula or foreign universities. They are demanding confidence in the system their children already depend on.
The CBSE controversy has exposed something deeper than concerns about one tender process or one examination cycle. It has revealed how fragile trust becomes when students and parents feel they are getting more questions than answers.
Most Indians cannot simply walk away from CBSE.
Which is exactly why the pressure on CBSE to fix its credibility problem and rebuild faith is becoming impossible to ignore.
Because for millions of families, there is no realistic backup plan.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
