An interaction on ‘Why ICSE’, with various stakeholders associated with the Council For The Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), shed light on the board, its mission and vision, and how it has been adapting to the developments with regard to the National Education Policy (NEP).
Gerry Arathoon, Chief Executive and Secretary of the CISCE spoke about how the council worked with a single dedicated goal of providing quality education to students. “We are the only private national board in the country and have been serving the student community for the last sixty years,” he said. Stating that the Council has been tracking the development of the NEP since its draft stage, Mr. Arathoon said they had consulted experts, who were a part of the drafting to gain a better understanding of the policy.
“The policy is neither imposing nor intrusive in nature, and is a step in the right direction. It should be seen in the light of a multi-dimensional way of learning, given that a concentrated effort will be made to move away from a rigid system to a more flexible way of learning,” he said.
Speaking about the focus of the CISCE curriculum on the holistic development of children, Shilpi Gupta, Head, Research and Consultancy Division spoke about how a number of recommendations made in the NEP were already a part of it. “Students are offered flexibility to choose from a wide choice of subjects and there are no fixed subject streams. There is also an integration of skill-based subjects and an emphasis on English language communication skills,” she said. She further said the Council is exploring possibilities of working with global partners in areas of capacity building.
Ricardo Henry Soler, Deputy Secretary, ICSE spoke about the affiliation process for educational institutions, and Sangeeta Bhatia, Deputy Secretary, ISC highlighted the initiatives taken by the Council to be a child-centric board, focusing on holistic development. “The CISCE has always kept ahead of its times– this has been the mantra of the council,” said A. Senthil Kumaran, co-founder, the Learners Confluence.
