Why Parents Are Choosing International Boards?

New Delhi: Millennial parents are more educated, ambitious, globally engaged and connected than previous generations. The rise of IB and Cambridge in India is not an abandonment of conventional education but a rethinking of what education can and should be in the 21st century.

Jhanvi, a team lead at a tech company in Bangalore, found herself in a unique and unfamiliar situation when she began looking for schools to enrol her four-year-old son. As with many others in her generation, she went through the CBSE curriculum, passed CBSE exams, entered a good college and embarked on a comfortable professional journey. But now, everything looks very different.

Her friends and colleagues are sending their kids to schools with an IB (International Baccalaureate) or Cambridge curriculum, as these types of international schools are practically popping up and they’re expensive.

This dilemma is of thousands of millennial parents in cities across India. This generation, born between 1981 and 1996, was shaped by India’s educational systems that were primarily CBSE, ICSE, or state boards. But for their children, many parents are excited to do better than the system they grew up in.

Another parent finding it hard to follow through on his daughter’s schooling in the eighth standard is Lilat Mittal, a businessman from Mumbai. He is contemplating transferring her to the international board, primarily for the benefits of skill-building and development. “I want my daughter to have a more holistic education,” Raj said. “I believe IB or Cambridge will provide that and open doors to global opportunities.”

Then comes Dreya Verma, a marketing executive in Pune. Her son, aged six, currently attends a CBSE school, but Priya is heavily leaning towards the IB syllabus for the final years of his education. “The more I learn about the benefits of international boards, the more I see it aligning with the kind of education I want for him,” Priya said. “It’s not just about academics but about fostering his creative and critical thinking.”

Numbers Tell the Story

In the last decade, India has seen a staggering growth of 300 percent in IB and Cambridge schools, particularly in urban areas. According to the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO), the country now has over 225 IB World Schools, up from just around 100 in 2014. Similarly, Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) currently has over 700 associated schools in India.

What is behind this larger-scale transition?

1. Skill-Based Learning Versus Rote Memorisation

Parents from the millennial generation, a great number of them in leadership positions in various sectors at present, have started to value skills like critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity, areas in which international boards excel. While the traditional boards focus exam, especially CBSE and state boards have continued to teach rote learning.

The two contrasting boards are in line in how they approach. Inquiry-based learning, interdisciplinary connections, project work, and real-world applications are exactly what today’s parents often whine they didn’t learn.

2. Global Gateway Education

Many parents see IB and Cambridge as deliberate strategies toward foreign education. The IBDP, widely accepted, slightly tilts the advantage in the application system of the mainstream universities in the US, UK, and Europe. “Parents now see education as an investment with long-term returns, especially if international exposure is on the horizon,” said Lilat Mittal.

3. All-Round Development & Mental Well-being

International boards include not only continuous assessments, group work, research presentations, but also a drop in academic pressure, allowing the child to flourish in other areas rather than in examination performance alone.

4. The Power of Perception

In the metros, international schools have also developed into a status symbol, a sign of progressive, informed parenting. The peer influence is real. “It’s not really about education now; it’s about signaling what kind of opportunities you want your child to have,” stated a Delhi parent.

5. The Cost Equation

But it’s not cheap. Here’s a rough comparison of annual fees in Tier-1 cities:

What Experts Say

According to education expert Komal Shrivastava, the shift to international boards isn’t just about aspiration, it’s about disillusionment with India’s current education system.

Komal Shrivastava, an education expert, said, “Affluent parents are increasingly turning to international schools because they believe quality education and global opportunities are no longer available within India. The standards of our education system have significantly declined, focusing too much on rote memorisation rather than fostering reasoning and understanding. This is why parents are opting for international schools, as they offer better prospects for studying abroad and securing jobs.”

She added, “The heavy reliance on coaching centres is another issue as children are not gaining knowledge in schools, leading them to seek external help. Despite high marks and degrees, students lack real knowledge. In today’s world, with abundant learning material available online, the emphasis should shift from simply filling answer sheets to acquiring true understanding. Our education system is stuck in the past, and India’s educational rankings on the global stage reflect this. We are far behind in evolving our educational methods and we have to prepare our children for the future and make them think 20 years ahead of time.”

She added that IB and Cambridge are booming in urban India, particularly in Tier 1 and 2 cities: