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Is State Board better than CBSE?

SSC is a statutory and autonomous government education board, which stands for ‘Secondary School Certificate’. The board is popularly referred to as SSC, till 10th grade and HSC, ‘Higher Secondary School Certificate’, till 12th grade. Officially however, the SSC board in Maharashtra is actually the MSBSHSE Board, which stands for ‘Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education’. This board was established under the provisions of the Maharashtra Act No. 41 in 1965 and it is thus a 56 year old institution. 

 

 

The MSBSHSE board mainly sets the subjects, course materials and syllabi for grades up to 12th standard and also conducts the SSC and HSC Board exams in the 10th and 12th grades respectively. These examinations are conducted twice every year through the main nine divisional boards of Pune, Mumbai, Aurangabad, Nashik, Kolhapur, Amravati, Latur, Nagpur and Ratnagiri. This is one of the most popular boards in India, with approximately 17 lakh students appearing each year for SSC exams and 14 lakh appearing for the HSC exams. Furthermore, there are about 21,000 SSC schools and 7,000 HSC Jr. colleges across the state that fall under this board. 

 

 

The Maharashtra State Board has a wide range of subjects, including multiple Indian languages like Marathi, Hindi, Sanskrit, Punjabi, Sindhi, Gujarati, Kannada, Urdu, Pali, Telugu, etc. as well as English, German, French, Russian, Arabic, Persian, etc. Apart from this, the board includes a wide array of disciplines like ICT, maths, sciences, social sciences, multi-skill foundation courses, healthcare, automobile technology, sports, travel and tourism, agriculture, banking and finance, media, etc. 

What is CBSE pattern?

CBSE stands for ‘Central Board of Secondary Education’ and it is a national level board of education that is managed by the Government of India. It was established in 1929 and was the first of this kind of inter-state integrative and co-operative board of education. The CBSE board follows the NCERT(National Council of Educational Research and Training) syllabi and curriculum. The board has been through many changes in the past 92 years, with important changes being made in 1952, which gave it the present name and made it available to students over the entire country. 

 

CBSE board has its headquarters in Delhi, and it is affiliated with approximately 26,000 schools in India and 200 schools in foreign countries. All Kendriya Vidyalayas, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and all central government schools are affiliated with the CBSE, apart from multiple private schools. Every year, the CBSE board conducts exams for 10th and 12th grades, as well as the All India Pre Medical Test (AIPMT) for medical aspirants. It also used to conduct other examinations like the NEET, JEE, NET, etc. which have now been transferred to the NTA. 

 

The CBSE board covers a wide array of subjects, both for 10th as well as 12th grade levels. It’s official languages are Hindi and English and it also teaches other languages like French, Malayalam, etc. Apart from that, maths, science, social sciences, economics, accountancy, business studies, multimedia, psychology, sociology, etc. are also popular disciplines. 

Difference SSC and CBSE board

SSC and CBSE are both extremely popular throughout the country and have a large number of schools affiliated with each. However, there are certain key differences between these two boards which parents and students should consider before choosing which board they want to study in. Here are some of the main differences between SSC and CBSE boards:

  1. CBSE is a central board that falls under the purview of the central government, while SSC falls under state government purview, which means that in Maharashtra, it is managed by the government of Maharashtra. 
  2. The syllabus, curriculum, subjects and course material of both boards differ quite a bit, since CBSE curriculum is formed by the NCERT and the SSC curriculum is formed by the State government department of education. 
  3. Since CBSE is a national board, it gives priority to English as the medium of education and communication. However, since SSC is a state managed board, it gives priority to regional languages like Marathi, Hindi, Kannada, etc. with English being taught as the first or second language, depending on the schools.
  4. Most CBSE schools are private and thus the overall cost of education in CBSE board is usually higher than SSC. Since SSC is state-managed, it is widely available in most public schools, as well as private ones, and so it has lower fees. 
  5. The CBSE board is uniform throughout the country, which means that children can transfer from one school to another in a different state, while still learning the same syllabi. On the other hand, since the SSC syllabi is state-specific, changing schools inter-state is not very feasible. 
  6. Another point of difference between the two boards is the range of subjects offered. Again, since CBSE is a centralised board, it offers a limited variety of subjects, especially in languages, arts and humanities. On the other hand, SSC offers quite a range of subjects in all disciplines, including numerous languages. 
  7. Since CBSE is also the board that controls a lot of national competitive exams, the board focuses a lot on preparing children for such exams. However, SSC focuses more on holistic academic knowledge, without focusing on any particular competitive exams. 

Whats makes SSC board a better option?

  • Lower costs of schooling and course materials.
  • Highly accessible, with a large number of private and public schools and Jr. colleges affiliated to the board.
  • Wider variety in subjects and disciplines and more choice for students, especially in languages, arts, humanities and social sciences. 
  • The SSC curriculum is to the point and age appropriate. It covers all the necessary syllabus, without overburdening students with extra academic loads and pressures. 
  • Focus on regional specificity, with students being taught regional languages, regional history and geography and regional culture to help them understand their state better. 
  • Higher emphasis on practical knowledge and application, since the SSC board also includes subjects like accountancy, work experience, art, media and technology, etc. Furthermore, the board does not focus on rote learning and incorporates practical and application based projects in the curriculum.
  • Students studying in SSC are exposed to a community that is more diverse and multicultural, since students from all socio-economic and cultural backgrounds are able to access and afford a State board education. 
  • Since the syllabus of the state board is more flexible and not very focused on competitive exams, students are able to pursue various extracurricular activities and there is more emphasis on sports as well. 

Conclusion

India is home to various educational boards, out of which the SSC and CBSE boards are most popular. The main difference between SSC and CBSE is that the former falls under the state government and is therefore more accessible and region-specific and the latter falls under the central government and is therefore present nationally. Each board has its own advantages and disadvantages. While state board schools are more accessible, affordable and offer a higher number of subjects, CBSE schools come with the option of transferring out of state without interruption in education. Parents should ensure they research and understand the structure of both these boards before taking the decision of which board is most suitable for their child.