CBSE International (CBSE I) is set to take off from April 1

The Central Board of Secondary Education International (CBSE I) is set to take off from April 1 with 25 schools from the Middle East region getting affiliated to the international version of the school board. The principals of the 25 schools were in New Delhi on Monday to undergo an orientation programme before the beginning of the academic session. Resource persons from CBSE will also be sent to these schools to help them train teachers for the new curriculum of the international board.

As reported by this newspaper earlier, the 25 schools - short- listed from 45 that had evinced a keen interest in affiliating to CBSE I - are located in Oman, UAE, Qatar and Singapore among others. The move is being made to expand the CBSE's fold, create a brand for India and also as a measure of soft diplomacy to reach out to regions across the world.

CBSE chairperson Vineet Joshi said the CBSE I would offer competition to international boards like the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) affiliated to University of Cambridge or the Geneva-based International Baccalaureate and would come backed with an international curriculum factoring in local concerns. The CBSEI will seek accreditation from international agencies so that its students are accepted in foreign universities and CBSEI recognised by all institutes as an international board.

With a revised Social Studies curriculum to suit international sensibilities and with an affiliation fee of Rs 2.5 lakh against the near Rs 6 lakh for an IGCSE or IB affiliation, CBSE I aims to positions itself as a price competitive school board imparting quality education. Joshi added that the CBSEI would not only attract students from the Indian expatriate community but from other nationalities as well. The CBSEI version will be introduced this academic session in the 25 schools only from Class 1 and Class 9 and will be extended upto class 12 in the next three years.

Courtesy: Yahoo News
http://in.news.yahoo.com/48/20100330/804/tnl-cbse-international-to-start-from-apr.html