Print 🖨 PDF 📄 eBook 📱

Yes, your child has grown up, and now it’s time for you to chalk out their path to the future by taking the first small step – school. But how do you pick one? If you are in India, you would be surfing the internet for differences in the state, central, Indian and international boards. If you are in the United States, or Australia, you would be considering between private and public/state schools. In the UK, if your child is pursuing higher education, then it is a decision between A-levels and International Baccalaureate (IB).

Education is a growing necessity, and quality education is being sought actively for a stronger future. It is, therefore, a pity, when some forms or boards of education, are considered incompetent or perceived weaker than the others. Even though students are taught the same basics, the same math and logic, their system or type of education creates differences among them.

As cultural and linguistic differences decrease around the world, there is a need for a uniform education system, one that offers the same methods of teaching, learning, and imparting knowledge. One that offers a similar curriculum with various subjects. One that places all students, whether poor or rich, rural or urban, or from a less or more economically developed country, on the same level for recognition, competition and opportunity.

The most common question of ‘choosing’ a school is whether public or private schools. In most places, governmental schools are easily shadowed by the demanding private or ‘international’ schools, mostly because of economic disparities. Students from a public school, hardly have the opportunity, and the means, to consider foreign universities. On the other hand, most ‘international’ school students are led to think that expensive foreign universities are the only ‘intelligent’ alternative for higher studies.

This is where we make a mistake. The competition should be amongst the students, and not the institutions. If the curriculum is the same in both types of schools, why should there be unnecessary distinction? Anyone should be empowered to go to any university, irrespective of their school or its educational boards.

The difference in ‘education systems’ also leads to many unseen biases. One is considered to be superior to the other. Today, there is a favorable opinion of International Baccalaureate, over A-levels. The former offers ‘international recognition’ along with a challenging curriculum, which prepares students for the future. On the other hands, the pass percentage in A-levels has increased, making it ‘easier’ and the less preferred. This general opinion may make a student under confident about their board.

Countries too differ in their respective education systems. South Korea believes that a pressured environment, or ‘short term unhappiness’, is important for future success or ‘long term happiness’, resulting in rigorous teaching. On the other hand, Scandinavian countries, like Finland, believe that ‘actual’ learning happens outside the classroom, and allow students to pursue their varied interests, with comparatively limited classroom time.
Surprisingly then, both countries have been ranked as having the ‘best’ educational systems.

Most of these classifications of education have originated as a need for culturally diverse consumers. For example, the IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) board was created for those with different learning abilities, or for those whose first language is not English. However, this has been deemed ‘better’ than the original GCSE, in retaining the ‘harder’ and ‘more challenging’ aspects in the main subjects.

Is there really a difference? Is one type of school, or board, or system really better than the other? Or is there a difference among the opinion, the way it is perceived?

A plethora of education systems may help you find an ideal one for each person. A rigorous board may prepare a child for the future. Another may provide exposure and offer more subjects to choose from. One can be for the economically limited. According to you (or your child’s needs), one can choose if they want a school that is academically inclined or provides more facilities for extracurricular activities. However, this leads to search for the ‘best’. A general opinion is formed, and a student from the ‘disadvantaged’ school or board is left less confident.

A uniform education system around the globe would help eradicate differences between state and private schools, between different boards for the same age group and between different types of learning. The search for the ‘best’ type of education would decrease, as all students would have the same access. Such education would have minimal financial demand from the public to be accessible to all sections of society. There would be fairer competition, when financial, linguistic, and cultural differences would be cut out. For effective functioning, there would be little difference in the approach to mainstream subjects and many electives could be offered based on the location and culture of the students. A student from a rural part of an underdeveloped country would be able to compete with another from an urban area in a highly developed country. The only difference would be of merit.

“Until we get equality in education, we won’t have an equal society”. –Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Such a system would truly achieve global parity. Equal education and opportunity would be a step towards equality in citizens of the future.