Competitive exams hit ICSE hard

The craze for competitive exams in the state has led to fewer students enrolling into ICSE schools. Students and parents feel that the ICSE syllabus is not helpful for those preparing for competitive exams like IIT-JEE, AIEEE, JIPMER and Eamcet.
Cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Bengaluru have hundreds of ICSE schools, while Hyderabad has just 12. In the entire state, the number of ICSE schools does not exceed 40. The number of students appearing for ICSE Board exams in the state is less than 1,000 every year.

There is a general feeling among the parents that ICSE schools are only for students of affluent families who want to go abroad for studies after Class X or XII. Moreover, ICSE syllabus is mostly being offered by prominent international schools that cater to the needs of students from rich families. They also feel that ICSE exams are low-scoring in comparison to state syllabus. “Many students secure over 95 per cent marks in Inter exams every year. But that is not the case with ICSE exams. Also, 25 per cent weightage is being given to 10+2 marks in Eamcet. So, Inter students are at advantage over ICSE and CBSE students,” said Mr K Madhusudhan Rao, a senior lecturer.

However, the managements of ICSE schools say that the Board offers a vast syllabus and discourages rote learning. “Students in ICSE schools have deeper understanding of biological sciences and mathematics. The Board has been updating the syllabus every year to cater to the needs of students appearing for competitive exams. ICSE students have been performing well in IITJEE, AIEEE etc. for the last few years. It is a myth that ICSE students are disadvantaged when it comes to cracking competitive exams,” said a correspondent of an ICSE school.