ICSE GETS JUNIOR COLLEGE BOOST

With Results Being Announced Today, A Look At How A Growing Number Of Schools Are Offering The ISC Curriculum

Anahita Mukherji | TNN

Mumbai: While the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) exam is widely known across the country for Class X, the Indian School Certificate (ISC) for Class XII, which is conducted by the same board, is not so well known but rapidly gaining steam. In the last six months alone, 50 schools have introduced the ISC.
Of the 1,600-odd ICSE schools in India, Dubai, Sharjah, Singapore and Indonesia, 800 now offer the ISC for students in classes XI and XII. While 97,303 students appeared for the ICSE in 2007, there were 45,293 who took the ISCs. The board is
expected to announce the number of
2008 candidates on Tuesday when it
releases the ICSE and ISC results.
In Mumbai, though, the number of ISC schools is minuscule. Only seven out of the 52 ICSE schools in and around the city offer the ISC. “We hope that, eventually, all ICSE schools offer the ISC as well,’’ said Gerry Arathoon, additional chief secretary and officiating chief executive of the ICSE board.
And here’s some good news for students from other boards. A student who has cleared Class X from any board—including the SSC, CBSE or IGCSE—is eligible for the ISC and can switch boards. This means that an SSC student from Mumbai need not simply apply to a junior college that offers the HSC, but can also give the ISC a shot as well.
“We have had a few SSC and CBSE students joining our ISC course for classes XI and XII,’’ said Meera Isaacs, principal of Cathedral and John Connon School, Fort. “Though they were very bright, some found it tough to cope with the curriculum, especially in science and English literature,’’ she added.
Another ISC school, Lilavati Podar School at Santa Cruz, also takes in students from other boards for its ISC course.
“ISC is the natural progression from the ICSE board. But for those who switch over from other boards, we provide counselling to help them choose their stream,’’ said Norina Fernandes, principal of Lilavati Podar.
The admissions procedure for the ISC is decided by the schools and not the board. While there are five ISC schools in Mumbai city, there’s one in Thane and one in Navi Mumbai.
The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, which conducts the ICSE and ISC exams, is the only national board that has only English-medium schools as affilites.
anahita.mukherji@timesgroup.com

KNOW YOUR SCORE The ICSE and ISC results are expected to be out by 3pm today. They can be accessed via the internet as well as through SMS.