Full Forms of CBSE, ICSE, SSC: Check Details

The full form of CBSE board is Central Board of Secondary Education. The most striking feature of CBSE is that it conducts national-level examinations for admission to different engineering and medical courses at the undergraduate level. The ICSE full form is the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education. The SSC board full form is Secondary School Certificate. Except for SSC, both the other boards are National-level boards, and SSC is a state-level board.

CBSE - Central Board of Secondary Education

The full form of CBSE is the Central Board of Secondary Education, it was established in 1962 by Anita Karwal and is precisely controlled and managed by the Union Government of India. It is the primary board of education in India for school students.

It conducts national-level exams for students that serve as standard minimum eligibility to pursue higher education.

Objective of CBSE

Every educational board has a set of aims and goals. However, the goal is to provide new and improved education to children with modern teaching methods. The following points explain the objectives of the CBSE board:

• To improve the skill learning among the students by providing job-oriented inputs.
• It conducts workshops and specific training programmes for the teachers and administrators to increase the student's delivery skills.
• Encourage and motivate the students by providing certificates to the successful candidates of the affiliated school.
• To update and authorise the course of instruction of examinations.

Pros and Cons of CBSE Board

Before choosing the educational board for your child, parents must weigh down the pros and cons of the CBSE & ICSE board. Even though CBSE is a highly favoured educational board in India, it has its own set of pros and cons that a parent must not ignore to make a decision.

The following points extensively explain the advantages and disadvantages of CBSE:

Pros

• Comparatively, to other educational boards, the CBSE syllabus is more accessible as the subjects are fewer.
• The primary thing is the students feel much more comfortable and confident about appearing for competitive exams such as NEET, JEE MAIN, Advanced, Mains, etc.
• The significant concentration of the board lies in Science and Mathematics.
• CBSE board certification is valid across the country.
• Students also increase their innovative skills from the CBSE.
• As the CBSE schools are more in the country, there is no problem for the students; switching from one school to another is not difficult.

Cons

• CBSE board provides much theoretical knowledge than practical knowledge.
• Hence, it is not dependent on real-life concepts. The scope of knowledge and learning is not very effective.

ICSE - Indian Certificate of Secondary Education

The full form of ICSE is the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education, it was established in 1956 by the Local Examination Syndicate of the University of Cambridge. It conducts the ICSE Examination at the end of 10th grade and the Indian School Certificate (ISC) Examination at the 12th grade. 

Objectives of the ICSE Board

ICSE has prepared a curriculum that provides a variety of options and helps them gain practical knowledge. Let us look into the objectives of the ICSE board below:

• The main aim is to encourage education, including science, literature, fine arts, etc. 
• The board prepared the syllabus so that most of the syllabus fetches practical knowledge to build the students' analytical skills.
• The board's objective is to focus more on science, maths, and arts to enable students for various entrance exams.

Pros and Cons of ICSE Board

ICSE board certificate is accepted internationally, and therefore, many parents opt for this board. However, parents must consider the board's disadvantages, keeping their child's needs and capabilities in mind. The following points explain the pros and cons of the ICSE board:

Pros

• The perks of having an ICSE certificate is that it is accepted globally, even in foreign schools and universities.
• The curriculum is productive and constructive for the students interested in the fields of humanities and management.
• The board has formulated that English needs to be an addition and the other subjects because it helps students attain specific exams like TOEFL. The board highly emphasizes the subject of English.

Cons

•  The syllabus is complex and extensive compared with other boards. Therefore, students face difficulties in preparing at the time of examinations.
• The ICSE board scores more petite than the CBSE board because of the evaluators' lack of leniency. So students face minor problems with the scores they obtain.

SSC - Secondary School Certificate

Full form of SSC is Secondary School Certificate examinations or state board examinations come under the state government. This board generally conducts public examinations in India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. The examinations are conducted as a complete exam of secondary education. The students of class 10 are only supposed to appear for this examination. 

Objectives of the SSC Board

The main goals of the SSC board are explained below:

• The primary objective of this board is to make sure that every student can get a quality education.
• The grading system is also lenient so that the students stay productive and with utter confidence.

Pros and Cons of SSC Board

SSC board aims to provide education to a more extensive section of Indian society. Compared to CBSE and ICSE, the syllabus is accessible, and students score excellent marks in the annual examinations. However, the board has its own set of weaknesses, which is explained below:

Pros

• The students can gain higher marks through this board as the evaluation process is not strict.
• The examinations conducted by the state board are much easier for the students to attempt the questions.
• Credibility for the students is high compared to other boards because scoring excellent marks in SSC board examinations is high.

Cons

• SSC board is not practical and helpful for the students in competitive exams or entrance exams like CBSE and ICSE.
• Students cannot gain knowledge and also analytical skills from the SSC board.
• Nowadays, the SSC board is least opted by the people as the board's standards and reputation gradually reduce day-by-day compared with other boards.
• SSC board certification is only helpful in the respective state. Hence, it is less useful in other states.
• Though the syllabus volume is heavy, there is no impact on the students to build knowledge on the subjects because the only motive is to secure top marks rather than understanding the concepts.

Difference Between CBSE, ICSE and SSC

The factors listed below comprise some key differences between CBSE, ICSE and SSC. Factors such as scope, medium of instructions, and syllabus have been provided below:

Board

• CBSE: Central Board of Secondary Education is a National-level board of education.
• ICSE: Indian Certificate of Secondary Education is a National-level board of education.
• SSC: Secondary School Certificate is a State-level board of education.

Syllabus

• CBSE: Vast syllabus with a major focus on subjects such as Science and Mathematics.
• ICSE: The syllabus focuses almost equally on other subject streams such as Art, Language, Science, etc.
• SSC: The Syllabus is less lengthy, and it is state-centric as it contains the local language.

Medium of Instructions

• CBSE: English and Hindi
• ICSE: English
• SSC: English and regional Language

Scope

• CBSE: CBSE is known for its vast opportunities, as the syllabus is very competitive and can prepare students for higher and further education.
• ICSE: ICSE is known to be tough. But it has the scope of preparing the students well for higher education.
• SSC: Students willing to prepare for higher competitive exams after school may need coaching as the SSC syllabus has a limited syllabus.

Which Board to Choose from CBSE, ICSE and SSC?

Finalising the best board for the children can be done after analysing the differences between CBSE, ICSE and SSC. No board is any less than the other; choosing a national board or state board depends on the future goals of the students or what is most suitable for them. 

• Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) helps you achieve career goals by providing you with a guide to prepare for future competitive exams.
• Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) helps you develop your core personality traits in different ways.
• Secondary School Certificate (SSC) board, on the other hand, is less stressful for students in general as the syllabus has limited content; itIt is suitable for those who have different goals or are staying in the same state and pursuing further education accordingly.

Other factors also need to be considered while selecting a school after looking at the difference between CBSE, ICSE and SSC boards. Factors like online learning, reading, performing arts, and sports can help students attain their learning objectives.