Mumbai has more international schools

Updated on: Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Mumbai: ICSE and CBSE schools, once considered creme de la creme as far as education goes, have long been relegated to a lower rung of the caste system. Today it's international schools that rule the roost, not only in terms of snob value but also numbers.

Five years ago, there were only a handful of international schools scattered across Mumbai. Today, they outnumber both ICSE and CBSE schools - while there are around 75 IGCSE (International General Certificate for Secondary Education) and IB (International Baccalaureate) schools in and around Mumbai, there are approximately 65 ICSE schools and 32 CBSE schools.

So why have international schools affiliated to foreign boards (IB originated in Geneva while the UK-based IGCSE is affiliated to the University of Cambridge) mushroomed across India's financial capital? According to Ian Chambers, regional manager (South Asia) for the Cambridge International Examinations, the growth in the number of international schools has gone hand in hand with India's economic development in the last decade. Farzana Dohadwalla, South Asia representative for IB, feels the demand for IB schools has been fuelled by parents looking for a new system of education which is more interesting and less stressful. The demand for international schools has also come from NRIs resettling in India, says Dohadwalla.

While parents with transferable jobs in India prefer national boards like CBSE and ICSE, which offer their children continuity of curriculum, those with transferable jobs across the globe are now increasingly opting for international boards.

According to Chambers, there is a 25-30% growth in the number of IGCSE schools each year across India. In Mumbai, though, Dohadwalla says the growth in the number of IB schools is reaching saturation point. "A few years ago, there was a higher growth rate for IB schools, as they were meeting a demand in society. But that has, to a large extent, now been met,'' she adds.

But international schools don't come cheap, with the annual fee often crossing Rs 1 lakh per month. At Ecole Mondiale World School, Juhu, the annual fee for kindergarten works out to Rs 6.9 lakh, and goes up to Rs 8.9 lakh for Classes XI and XII. This is in addition to a Rs 2 lakh admission fee and a Rs 2.5 lakh security deposit.

Many educationists feel that Indian boards have a lot to learn from their foreign counterparts. But they also say that international schools are often overrated and not worth their overblown fees.

According to Carl Laurie, principal of Christ Church, an ICSE school in Byculla, Indians have a colonial hangover and covet anything that's foreign. "Indian boards are more suitable for children who want to stay on in India. For instance, the results for international board examinations are out only after junior college admissions are over in the city. So students from these boards are given provisional admission in junior college till their results are out,'' he added. Laurie, however, feels that international boards offer a great deal more flexibility than Indian boards. "We're seeing what the West has to offer in education. We don't necessarily have to shift to an international board. But we can certainly adopt the best practices from foreign boards,'' he adds.

Avnita Bir, principal of R N Podar School, Santa Cruz, which offers the CBSE curriculum, feels that when it comes to choosing schools, the institution is more important than the board. Bir, who has worked in schools that have offered ICSE, CBSE as well as an international curriculum, says that schools are free to implement the best of all boards.

Mumbai has more international schools

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