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Record Shift: 84,000 CBSE-ICSE Students Make Up 12% of Karnataka’s Pre-University Population | Bengaluru News

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At 84k, CBSE-ICSE students form 12% of PU strength

Bengaluru: The number of CBSE and ICSE students shifting to the state’s pre-university (PU) board after class 10 has been increasing over the past few years, now accounting for nearly 12% of the total PU population in Karnataka.
This year, more than 84,000 students from the central boards have switched to the state syllabus mainly on account of integrated coaching, seemingly less-rigorous syllabi and PU is widely considered liberal in academics.
I PU in the state has 7 lakh students, including 63,659 CBSE students and 20,742 ICSE students. This number has been on a steady climb over the years: In 2020-21, there were 56,956 students and in 2023-24, a little more than 65,000 made the switch.
Integrated coaching – where PU classes and coaching for competitive entrance exam are taught under the same roof – is the biggest draw. “Integrated coaching is considered a gateway to CET, JEE and other exams. Even though rules do not permit such coaching on campuses, they are widely practised in PU colleges. PU is considered more liberal in academics, giving more time for entrance coaching. It is perceived lighter too. Students who find the central boards tougher also shift to the PU,” said D Sashi Kumar, secretary, Association of Management of Primary and Secondary Schools of Karnataka.
In CBSE class 10 this year, some 83,787 students took the exam from Bengaluru region, which comprises the Karnataka state. In class 12, their number stood at 20,993. In ICSE, 27,779 wrote the final-year exams of 2024 and 2,352 students in ISC.
The principal of a CBSE school confirmed that the key reason for the switch is because CBSE and ICSE do not permit integrated coaching. “With coaching becoming inevitable in cracking entrance exams, the number of students who are shifting for this reason is going up. However, there are also students who come to CBSE because they believe central boards are better for cracking national exams like JEE,” he said.
Gayetri Devi, secretary, Karnataka ICSE Schools’ Association, said coaching mafia and the integrated approach were the reasons behind an increasing traffic towards PU. “It is lack of awareness of what the ISC curriculum has to offer and how it is going to benefit (the students in the long run),” she said, terming integrated coaching “more of a gimmick” and it puts a lot of pressure on children. “It’s herd mentality,” she added.

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