In India, Education is managed both by both the Union Government and the states, with some responsibilities lying with the Union and the states having autonomy for others.

Education in India falls under the control of The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). It is an apex resource organisation set up by the Government of India, with headquarters at New Delhi, to assist and advise the Central and State Governments on academic matters related to school education.

The NCERT provides support and technical assistance to a number of schools in India and oversees many aspects of enforcement of education policies. The objective of NCERT is to assist and advise the Ministry of Education and Social Welfare in the implementation of its policies and major programmes in the field of education, particularly school education.

It’s functions include Research, Development, Training, Extension, Publication and Dissemination and Exchange Programmes. The NCERT also drafts, publishes and recommends school text books (from Class I to Class XII) of various subjects based on the recommendations of knowledgeable faculty in the subject.

 In India, the various curriculum bodies governing school education system are:

• State Government Boards – Majority of Indian children are enrolled in this Board
• CBSE – Central Board Of Secondary Education Board
• CISCE – Council For The Indian School Certificate Examinations
• NIOS – National Institute Of Open Schooling Board

International Schools - These are affiliated to the International Baccalaureate Programme and/or the Cambridge International Examinations.

Islamic Madrasah Schools – These Boards are controlled by Local State Governments, or Autonomous, or Affiliated with Darul Uloom Deoband.

Autonomous Schools – These include Woodstock School, Auroville, Patha Bhavan and Ananda Marga Gurukula.

State Government Boards - Every state has it’s own Education Board which looks after the Academic Affairs of the schools coming under it. These Boards conduct various types of examinations which vary from State to State but most of them conduct the following Examinations -

• Middle Standard Examination
• Senior Secondary Exam
• Senior Secondary – Open School
• Matriculation
• Matriculation – Open School

Board Composition / Structure - Most of the State Boards have similar composition which consists of the following members at the topmost Hierarchy

• Chairman
• Vice Chairman
• Director – Academic
• Controller Of Exams
• Secretary
• Joint Secretary
• FDO
• Joint Director Publishing

Board Divisions / Sections / Committees / Branches – Similarly every State Board has various Divisions / Sections / Committees which take important decisions regarding day-to-day work and other important matters.

Some common divisions are as follows -

• Administrative Wing
• Examination Wing
• Account Section
• Finance Committee
• Education Committee
• Magazine Advisory Committee
• Certificate Section
• Computer Branch
• Conduct Branch

National Institute Of Open Schooling Board - Also known as NOS or National Open School, NIOS is the National Board of Education for school level in India similar to CBSE and ICSE. NIOS is credited to be the largest open school in the world with significant popularity in the Commonwealth countries and in certain other developing and developed countries. NIOS has been offering Secondary and Senior Secondary courses through 2144 study centres, Vocational Education & training (VET) courses through 1106 study centres and Open Basic Education Programme through 664 Accredited Agencies. There are 26 study centres of NIOS in overseas countries. It is an important initiative of the Government of India, created to cater to the educational needs of students who cannot attend regular schools. Students who benefit from this initiative include sports persons who have to train and travel all through the academic year; those with a physical handicap; and those with chronic medical illness. Additionally, a large number of candidates who register with the NIOS Board are those with learning disorders or other psychiatric conditions. Many (but not all) boards, institutions, and universities across the country recognize the NIOS certification for continued or higher studies; these are listed in the NIOS prospectus and at the NIOS website.

Regional Offices - In order to systematise the interaction between the NIOS and the State Open Schools and other agencies, it was considered appropriate to establish a forum under the NIOS in the form of a Consortium. The Board has regional Offices in Delhi, Hyderabad, Pune, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Kochi, Bhopal, Allahabad and Dehradun.

 http://www.nios.ac.in

International Schools 

These are affiliated to :

IB – International Baccalaureate Programme
CIE – Cambridge International Examinations

IB - International Baccalaureate Organisation is an international organisation, not associated with any particular country and free of national political educational agendas. These schools are affiliated to the International Baccalaureate Programme. The IB programme is more practical and application-based. It has a broader spectrum of subjects that lead to all-round development. IB examinations test students’ knowledge, not their memory and speed. There are no examinations till the Middle Years Programme (Class 10). The focus of the IB pedagogy is on ‘how to learn’ rather than ‘what to learn’. There are no prescribed textbooks; students can choose their own books. The purpose of IB is to produce global citizens. But sometimes, the IB programme does use the local curriculum as a base. For example, Hindi can be offered as a second language in the IB Diploma Programme. The IB curriculum is more challenging than educational boards like CBSE and ICSE. But the challenge is in the quality of assignments, not in the amount of work assigned. The Association of Indian Universities (AIU) rates IB at par with Class 12 CBSE, ICSE, NIOS or State Boards. But every now and then, one hears of stray incidents of IB students finding difficulty in getting admission in certain Indian colleges and universities.

www.ibo.org

CIE - University of Cambridge International Examinations is India’s largest provider of international qualifications for 14-19 year olds – and the world’s. CIE is a not-for-profit organisation, and part of the University of Cambridge. It’s educational excellence makes Cambridge qualifications – like IGCSE and International A/AS Level – renowned among universities and employers. Cambridge qualifications are internationally recognised as a mark of quality by schools, universities and employers.

Visit – http://www.cie.org.uk/countries/india

Islamic Madrasah Schools affiliated with Darul Uloom Deoband - The Darul Uloom Deoband is an Islamic school propagating Sunni Islam in the Indian Subcontinent. It is here that the Deobandi Islamic movement was started. It is located at Deoband, a town in Uttar Pradesh, India. The Darul Uloom has expanded its activities and started new departments during the last decades. In view of great challenge from the Ahmadiyya Movement (Qadiyanism), Darul Uloom convened the All India Tahaffuz Khatm-e-Nubuwwat Conference and established a special department to refute Qadiyanism. It started the ‘Shaikhul Hind Academy’ for publishing books, and training students in Urdu journalism. In 1996, the Computer Department was opened, which was later extended and an Internet Department also added. The Darul Uloom has also introduced a two-year full-time Diploma in English language and literature for students wishing to pursue higher education in universities.

 http://www.darululoom-deoband.com/english/index.htm

Autonomous Schools

These schools are self-governed, self-reliant and independent world-class international schools. Some of them are :
Woodstock – http://www.woodstock.ac.in
Auroville – http://www.auroville.org
Ananda Marga Gurukula – http://www.gurukul.edu/
Patha Bhavan – http://www.pathabhavan.com/