Schools & Education in India

[Disclaimer: These are my ramblings of my opinion about education system in India versus USA. This blog is not structured. There is lot more information to share but the posting was already getting too long. I will give more info in subsequent postings]

There is no ethnic group as obssessed with education of their children as Indians (and Asians in general are). While living in US, one reason why I never wanted to return to India is because of education. Now that I live in India, one reason I may return to US will education. That should summarize what I have to say about schools and education in India.

In my opinion, there is very prevalent myth that Indian education is better than what US has. That is a myth. In this article I compare between Indian, American and UK syllabuses. In these days, you can get both Indian and UK syllabuses in Indian schools. In most metro cities you have these 'International' schools that have started offering Cambridge syllabuses for a whopping price. In my opinion, US seems to have to have the better of all three. US text books are collectables. The way they introduce the topic, with graphics, and the wide range of topics. UK syllabus follow a similar philosophy as the American system (practical approach rather than rot learning) but they lack the dept of other two syllabuses. Indian syllabus and way of teaching is only good with Math and none other subjects. Even that is questionable.

So if you are planning to return to India and join your kids in Indian schools you need to learn few things:

• Know the acronym jargon - CBSE, ICSE, ISC, IGCS, SSC, IB are the syllabuses in vogue in India. CBSE and ICSE/ISC are from central government. The myth about them is CBSE is easier and most schools follow this syllabus. ICSE is difficult and few schools offer them. IGCSE is British curriculum from Cambridge. Similar to US style of teaching. State syllabus is called SSC and IB is one of those 'International way of teaching' syllabus.
• There is myth among Indians and surprisingly among some of the NRIs that the standard of education is low in America as compared to India. On the contrary, I find, American text books, mode of teaching, and their priorities far better than British or Indian.
• Indian education system is good in teaching how to solve text book problems NOT how to solve practical problems. What is the difference? Indian schools will teach how to solve academic problems and therefore your kid will zip through all entrance exams and impress the professors in US Universities, and get your first job. American schools will teach you how to solve practical problems which will make you flunk Indian entrance exams but make your respect at work and grow for rest of your career and life. You choose.
• IGCSE is supposed to break from that traditional approach and introduce western style of teaching. The teachers are trained to teach differently but I am not yet impressed with their progress in that direction . So don't expect your child to be taught the western way by joining him/her in an IGCSE syllabus. It will take time. Also, I am not impressed with IGCSE math syllabus. It is way below both American and Indian standards. History and Social Studies does not teach a thing about India. (Your kid will grow up knowing more about Henry VIII than Asoka or Akbar)
• International versus traditional schools - If you opt for International schools, plan to head back to US for your children's undergraduate studies. they will never pass Indian entrance exams. They may not be ready for grueling American style of education (research, writing papers, presentations, problem solving skills). If you opt for traditional schools that follow state syllabus or ICSE or CBSE, then you don't have to contribute towards your 529 plan (US tax shelter for college education savings), your kid will have a good chance of making it to one of the Indian colleges.

International schools don't give as much home works as traditional schools. There are lot more extra-curricular activities in these International schools - music, sports, yoga, drama, dance, swimming, debate clubs, chess, etc. Don't expect your child to learn much from these activities in school. If you want your child to become good in one of these, say music, then you still need get private tutoring at home.

The same is true with subjects too. In spite of paying lakhs of rupees to get this International syllabus, you may still end up getting highly paid tutors to re-teach the subject at home (so why send the kids these schools paying exorbitant fees? I plan to ask the principal next time I meet him).

In Hyderabad, tutor fees range from Rs 1.5k to 5K/month depending on how good they are. School tuition fees could range between Rs 80k to Rs 4 Lakhs per annum depending on where you send them. In my opinion the best schools in Hyderabad are International School of Hyderabad (ISH) and Indus Global or International school based on few visits I made to schools around. ISH is a typical European school with European teachers offering well rounded education (their arts & craft program is impressive). The majority of the students are non-Indian here. I believe the child has to hold non-Indian passport to get admission here. It is so international that they don't teach anything Indian (history or languages or geography) here. So if you are coming back to introduce your kid to Indian culture, this school may not be appropriate.

So what do you gain by Indian education - nothing from the school syllabus but a lot from the society and environment. There are very good chances that your child will realize the competition out in the world and how hard working Indian kids are. They may get serious with their academics much faster than if they were in US. You may not have to give long lectures to them about importance of education, the society will. With respect to Math I have an inkling that the depth of Math syllabus in India will eventually help the kids. Yes, there is not much thinking that goes into teaching and learning Math in Indian schools but by spending so much time on it, kids may lose the inhibitions and start feeling comfortable with the subject.

With Indian education value system and good NRI parenting, you may get the best of both the western education and Indian 'awareness' in India.