International schools are affiliated to the International Baccalaureate Programme and/or the Cambridge International Examinations. The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is an international nonprofit educational foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Over time it has gained recognition and is now working with more than 3000 schools in 141 countries. Currently IB is limited to the metropolitans and large Tier-I cities in India and have been introduced in some new schools only. Kinds of IB programme: A school can only teach the following programmes if they are authorized by IB. It broadly runs three kinds of educational programmes, namely: a) Primary Years Programme for kindergarten to class 5. b) Middle Years Programme beginning from class 5 to class 10. c) Diploma Programme that comprises the final two years. Features of IB: The curriculum followed by the IB is different from the other existing boards as it doesn`t follow a rigorous text book method to teach candidates rather the students select their own set of books which they find fit for themselves. A student is not supposed to take any test or examinations until they reach class 10; this develops a stress free environment for the students and cumulates growth and evolution which is beyond any competition. It also has innovative teaching methods and special approaches which are widely accepted across the globe and assures positive results. The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE): IGCSE is an English language curriculum developed by University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) that prepares students for International Baccalaureate, A Level and BTEC Level 3. IGCSE is conducted at Level Class 10, same as the Class 10 examinations of the CBSE and ICSE or the Middle years Programme of the IB. IGCSE is one of the most sought-after and globally acclaimed qualifications. All around the world it is delivered across 140 countries and recognized by Ivy League universities, especially in UK. In India, the course is delivered in over 130 schools and is also recognized by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) as being at par with CBSE, ICSE, and other existing boards. It provides special care for every individual and the programme is planned according to their capabilities and distinguished abilities. The course is well balanced and lends international perspective and introspection. IGCSE Recognition: Many universities worldwide require a combination of Cambridge International A Levels and Cambridge IGCSEs to meet their admission requirements. Cambridge IGCSE is similar to the GCSE in UK. IGCSE is popular among homeschoolers and adult students and it usually takes students typically in the age group 14-16. But sometimes, it also allows students from alternative education and adult students to sit for the exam and continue personal education advancement at any age. IGCSE Subjects Offered: IGCSE offers more than 70 subjects, the core subjects being English, Mathematics and Sciences. The Students are required to take a minimum of 5 or maximum of 14 subjects. Students can also choose other subjects ranging from Social Sciences (commonly Accounting, Business Studies, Economics, Sociology) to Arts & Technology (commonly Computer Studies, Information & Communication Technology (ICT), Art & Design). A Student is awarded with one IGCSE certificate for each subject. The number of subjects that needs to be taken depends upon individual preference and varies across different schools. Grading system of IGCSE: The IGCSE is graded on an 8-point scale from A* to G with a 9th grade “U” signifying “Ungraded”. Features of IGCSE: IGCSE is one of the most sought-after and globally acclaimed qualification. It encourages necessary educational skills, problem solving methods, team work, and concept building. It provides special care for every individual and the programme is planned according to their capabilities and distinguished abilities. The course is well balanced and lends international perspective and introspection.
Actions speak louder than words. Manners and Etiquettes are not inherited by a child; instead, they learn and inculcate values while growing up. Parents have the power to nurture, guide, show and instill kindness, responsibility, and gentleness. When children are polite, kind and honest they make their parents look good and set an example of their upbringing. Importance of Manners and Etiquettes in Kids Social skills are very important in a child’s life, from the playground to the classroom to the workplace. Interaction with people, building relationships and friendships are some of the basic needs of an individual and thus development of interpersonal skills is a must. To show respect towards elders and treat everyone politely, these two basic traits shows the character of a child, parents and teachers can guide the kids in the right way. Every parent wants to raise their child into a respectful honest human being and thus, good manners are important skills that children should develop when they are young. Several aspects like good manners at the table, on the telephone, financial etiquette, good Sportsmanship, show respect towards elders, these are some basic nuances that a kid must follow and grow up to learn. Some pointers that ensure good mannerisms: Respectfully knocking and waiting for permission to enter in a classroom or office. To ask for permission to borrow something and positively return it in the same or better condition Privacy is very important aspect, thus a kid must be taught never to look through someone`s private possessions without prior permission. Whatever happens in the family stays in the family. A kid should never discuss family arguments and problems with outsiders. This is invasion of privacy and some people may take advantage of the facts. To maintain cleanliness and hygiene is extremely important. Every child must be taught basic rules to leave the bathroom, toilet, kitchen and TV room clean and tidy and to not leave dirty dishes around the house or litter food. Practicing the art of good manners and etiquette starts at home; parental guidance should be followed through to school and the sports field. Kids Telephone etiquettes are also of huge importance and must be taken care of from an early age itself. Good Table manners and etiquette for kids should be a part of life. Wasting food, littering food here and there, not using spoons, these are considered as poor table manners, and should not be encouraged. Children are never too young to learn the art of welcoming family and guests. A warm and friendly greeting is essential and it shows that a child has been raised with good values. Conclusion: Learning to apologize and thank people, are two very important lessons a child must be taught. These values come in handy for the rest of their lives and mould them into better human beings. For students to be successful in life, they need to have social skills as well as academic skills. And with a polite and caring behavior, they will continue to use good manners and become more socially aware as they get older.
CBSE Moderation Policy & Latest Updates: Well, CBSE Moderation Policy or simply we can say it Marks Moderation Policy is basically a provision for providing Grace Marks. This policy states that if any student falling short of a few marks in CBSE Board Exams then by this policy provision he will get grace marks and he will be able to clear Board Exams. There is one more provision in this policy for providing Grace Marks to those students who have attempted very difficult questions and out of syllabus questions as CBSE provide different sets of Question Papers for same subject. How Marks Moderation Policy works: Marks moderation was introduced in the year 1992, during the time when different education boards across the country, were attempting to curb the disparity in the results and compensate the marks difference during a difficult paper or tougher set of questions on the same subject. After receiving several complaints about the difficulty level of a paper, the concerned board members would form an expert panel and decide the quantity of extra marks (which could go up to 15 %) to be provided to each student for such tougher questions. An expert in The Times of India report stated that, spiking the scores of below average students and awarding up to 10 extra marks for candidates who failed to achieve the qualifying score, was causing harm to an otherwise progressive policy of marks moderation. State boards like Maharashtra, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar have no such moderation policy while Goa, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu follow this provision to improve and redeem their overall pass percentage in the state. This serves to be unfair for those candidates, who inspite of working just as hard are not able to clear the cut-off for admissions in colleges nor are they able to meet the criteria of getting selected in universities abroad. Reason behind abolishment of CBSE Moderation Policy: Eventually, this policy has created a lot of controversies as it resulted in inflation of students who score more than 95 per cent marks. Hence, in order to curtail the percentage of students scoring more than 95% marks, CBSE decided to banish the marks moderation policy this year. But, since the other state boards retained the pattern, it was bound to lead the C.B.S.E students at a disadvantage. Thus, the declaration of the class 12 C.B.S.E 2017 results was postponed, as according to the orders of the Delhi High Court, the moderation policy was to be followed by the next academic session. Latest Updates on CBSE Moderation Policy: After long debates and rebuttal, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) along with 32 other boards have finally planned to do banish the moderation policy or grace mark system for the upcoming session, to ensure uniformity in the grading system. HRD Ministry has issued an advisory to all State Boards regarding this policy. In this advisory, it is clear that States can provide Moderate Marks only when there the mistake in Question Paper or it is not clear. In this advisory States are asked for suggestions on making a Standard formula for Question Paper Assessment by 31-Oct-2017.