Getting a head start

The need to give international exposure to children has increased of late and with it has increased the demand for international boards. Parents, who want to send their children abroad to pursue higher studies, prefer to prepare them right from the beginning so that they won’t have problems adjusting to the new syllabus.

Parents say that more than them, their kids insist on shifting to international boards, so that they can pursue the subjects of their choice at the earliest and go on to study them abroad. Jayaramaiah, an industrialist, says that a student has more options in an international board like International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) or International Baccalaureate (IB), than the Indian boards.

“I have two daughters and a son, who are now studying in the USA — they had shifted to IGCSE when they were in their ninth standard. They felt that the curriculum is more advanced and will help them when they apply to a university in the UK or the USA. The standard of education is good. The options that are offered are very interesting and innovative and students are free to choose any combination they want,” he explains.
Sunitha Perumal, a education counsellor, says that international boards are an excellent choice for those who aspire to study abroad and the interest among parents is increasing.

 “Many parents prefer the international boards and in big cities like Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi, the trend is on the rise. Surprisingly, many parents in states like Gujarat have also made their children shift to international boards. There are many schools in the City that offer the international curriculum — while IB is an intense course and is generally meant for those students who want to apply to universities in the USA, IGCSE is meant for those who want to apply to universities in the UK,” informs Sunitha.

She adds that if parents have decided to send their children abroad, it is always better to expose them to the international curriculum at an earlier stage. This way, they have a basic understanding of how things work in foreign universities beforehand. “In many cases, students are quite clear about what they want and know their options well,” she adds.

Toral Patel, whose son is studying finance in the 12th grade, says he was the one who suggested shifting to an international board. “I had no idea about it. He asked his friends and did thorough research before he showed the curriculum to me. We looked at it online and felt that it suited his requirements. We also felt that there is more scope for development of the mind, as the students are given assignments — which require them to put their knowledge into practical use — on a regular basis,” sums up Toral.