CBSE - Central Board of Secondary Education
CBSE - The Central Board of Secondary Education is a board of school education in India.The CBSE prepares the syllabus for students from Lower Kindergarten (L.K.G) to Class 12, for schools affiliated with it. It conducts two board examinations: the All India Secondary School Examination for Class 10 and the All India Senior School Certificate Examination for Class 12, which is a school-leaving examination. It also prescribes the syllabi for these examinations, whose scores are necessary to gain admission in higher study institues. Many private schools through the country affiliate themselves with the CBSE. The medium for education prescribed by CBSE is either English or Hindi.CBSE All India Senior School Certificate Examination for Class 12 is widely recognised internationally for direct admission to university undergraduate courses.
CBSE also conducts the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) which is a common entrance examination on all-India basis for admission to engineering and architecture/planning programmes in the country. Similarly Pre-medical and Pre-dental Tests (PMT/PDT) are conducted for medical and dental colleges after the 10+2 exams.
Despite being central boards and following the national curriculum, this board has few students with most students opting for their respective State boards. For example, Madhyamik (equivalent examination of West Bengal Board of Secondary Education) is taken by around 750,000 candidates while this examination has about 450,000 candidates.
Historical Background
A trail of developments mark the significant changes that took place over the years in shaping up the Board to its present status. U.P. Board of High School and Intermediate Education was the first Board set up in 1921. It had under its Jurisdiction Rajputana, Central India and Gwalior, in response to the representation made by the Government of United Provinces, the then Government of India suggested to set up a joint Board in 1929 for all the areas and this was named as the "Board of High School and Intermediate Education, "Rajputana". This included Ajmer, Merwana, Central India and Gwalior.
The Board witnessed rapid growth and expansion at the level of secondary education resulting in improved quality and standard of education in its institutions. But with the advent of State Universities and State Boards in various parts of the country the jurisdiction of the Board was confined only to Ajmer, Bhopal and Vindhya Pradesh later. As a result of this, in 1952, the constitution of Board was amended wherein its jurisdiction was extended to part-C and part-D territories and the Board was given its present name "Central Board of Secondary Education", it was in the year 1962 finally that the Board was reconstituted. The main objectives were those of : serving the educational institutions more effectively, to be responsive to the educational needs of those students whose parents were employed in the Central Government and had frequently transferable jobs.