International board schools’ curriculum creating a need for better teachers, overtaking other boards

In the last 10 years, there has been a huge growth in international schools in India. The students are increasingly moving away from state boards and selecting one of the three international boards available in India:

• Cambridge International Examination (CIE)
• International Baccalaureate (IB)
• Edexcel Examination Board.

The top three factors impacting this migration are:

1). Holistic learning

International boards provide students a holistic approach to education and development of disciplinary understanding. Students study a variety of subjects and support their academics through their involvement. It strives to develop ‘global’ citizens with a positive outlook and the ability to evaluate a range of viewpoints.

Schools

Additionally, to maintain consistency and standardization across the globe, there are rules and conditions that schools implementing the international boards have to meet, including class size and teacher-student ratios. Deviation from the standards can have repercussions. On the other hand, state boards are unique to each state and teach students primarily via rote learning. The differences in methodology, along with student and parent preferences, have convinced many parents to shift their children to one of the international boards.

2). Study-abroad plans

In 2015, the number of students from India going abroad was nearly 4,00,000 recording a growth of 17.8 percent. Students are pursuing studies outside India due to further studies and career opportunities that provide an outstanding ROI on the investment made, best-in-class research facilities, and the holistic education. Students and parents believe that a high school education in an international board will not only ease the transition but aid in the application to a foreign institute or organization.

3). Acceptance within India

A large number of organizations are accepting high school graduates from international boards. Therefore, individuals who are looking for an application-based learning environment without restricting their options within India can make the change.

As international boards increase in popularity and the number of schools with international curricula grows, the need for expert teachers increases. Currently, there is a shortfall in the supply of appropriate faculty, and large numbers of expatriates are being recruited to fill the gap. Some important elements of an international curriculum include:

• Small classrooms widened with a low student-to-teacher ratio. For example, in an IB school classroom, you may find a class size of 20 with a support teacher to assist the lead.
• Domain experts for a range of subjects. They do not prefer one teacher taking numerous areas of study. Subjects offered may include Spanish, Mandarin, art, music, drama, yoga, computers, judo, computers etc. Thus, a school may have two teachers dedicated to different forms of Indian music and two different teachers for western music.
• Experienced faculty members who can effectively execute and manage the curriculum requirements.

Implementation of these elements requires an increased number of teachers and administrators who can impart the appropriate skills. Hence, international schools are extremely particular about whom they recruit.

Conclusion

Schools are actively polishing the domestic market in search of experienced educators and are willing to pay a higher salary to get qualified staff.

As a result, the requirement for teachers is also increasing. The salary structures are more competitive and increasing subject diversity. To address this issue, a number of training programmes, institutes, and certifications for teachers have emerged. They have flexible timelines to accommodate working professionals.

Nowadays, the schools offering international syllabus is continuously increasing. A number of parents and students prefer such learning environment than any other state board learning. This has created a space for teachers in a wide range of subjects. Additionally, even for subjects like the sciences, international schools are looking for expert teachers. The teachers who can effectively introduce their philosophy and learning methodology, thus paving the path for an expanding teacher profession.