International schools, International Baccalaureate (IB), India

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This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content.

Number of IB schools in India

IB schools in India: 2003-2013

The Times of India, May 20 2015

IB schools in India post 10-fold growth in 10 yrS

Akshaya Mukul

India may not have the Ivy League but it is fast getting an `IB league'. According to a new report, the number of schools with IB (International Baccalaureate) has grown nearly ten-fold in the last 10 years. In 2003, just 11 schools offered the IB programme. By 2013, this had gone up to 107, with Maharashtra leading with 41 schools.

It's not just IB; other international school programs have become more popular as well. The study conducted by the National University of Educational Planning & Administration said that as of 2013, there were 478 international schools affiliated to three foreign boards ­ the Geneva-headquartered IB, Cambridge International Examination (CIE) and Edexcel, both based in the UK.

These are spread across 19 Indian states, with the highest number (318 schools) affiliated to CIE, followed by IB (102) and Edexcel (58). Seventy-six schools are affiliated to both CIE and IB. Maharashtra has the highest number of CIE schools as well at 96. One of the reasons for the growth of international schools has been the perception that they encourage creativity and free thinking, both important characteristics for success in a globalized world.Not surprisingly , the profile of the “international“ student has also changed. Earlier, the study notes, only children from expatriate families, business class and multinational professionals were going to international schools but now even middle class families are sending their children to these schools.

The study commissioned by the HRD ministry has suggested that the government initiate a policy framework for the establishment and regulation of international schools by setting up the In ternational Schools Regulatory Authority (ISRA).

The study has asked the government to clearly specify the essential attributes of an `international' school.For instance, more than 20% international mix of students and faculty could be one way of doing it.

2016: Only three pure IB schools

Swati Deshpande Aug 26 2016 : The Times of India (Delhi) IB school says it does not come under RTE

Lawyer Manisha Jagtap, representing the Centre, said there were eight to 10 IB schools in the state and they might seek similar relief. Sathe said there are “only three pure IB schools in the country . The rest are hybrid schools which opt for IB later and they are recognised also as a school with the state or central board. This is the basic difference“.

See also

This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content.

The School

Swati Deshpande Aug 26 2016 : The Times of India (Delhi) IB school says it does not come under RTE The school run by Mercedes-Benz Education Academy was established in 1998 and has 280 students studying across primary , medium and diploma sections from ages 6 to 18. In conventional schools, it would be the equivalent to standards one to 12. It is Pune's first International Baccalaureate (IB) school.

Senior counsel for Mercedes-Benz International School Milind Sathe said the school in Pune had its own curriculum and syllabus, and over 60% of its students were chil dren of expats and the other 40% were locals who wished to go abroad for further studies.“This is globalisation,“ said Sathe, when Chief Justice Chellur asked how a Swiss academy was setting up school “on our land, using our resources“.

Does the school not come under RTE?

Its counsel told Bombay high court that it was not a “school“, it had no links to the Indian educational system and thus it did not come under the ambit of the Right to Education (RTE) Act.

The assertion led to a bench headed by Chief Justice Manjula Chellur to ask who the school was then answerable to and “how does it help the Indian economy“.

Mercedes-Benz International School, through senior counsel Milind Sathe, said RTE applied only to elementary education in “recognised schools“. Under RTE, every school has to admit 25% students from local areas at low fees. “But this is a standalone academy recognised by the IB Organisation in Switzerland. The school gives a disclaimer that it is not recognised or affiliated to any board or university in India and hence cannot be subject to RTE,“ Sathe argued. Granting of recognition by the state authorities makes all students in such schools eligible for transfers and cross-admissions to other schools and for admission to higher education.

The Chief Justice asked the state to inform them how the RTE Act is applicable while remarking that “otherwise, everyone in order to get out of the purview of RTE may set up a school...“

See also

Mercedes-Benz International School, Pune, especially for legal aspects of IB schools and the RTE.