There are broadly FOUR types of education boards in India that regulate, determine examination standards, and conduct board exams. These are 1) national boards (like CBSE and NIOS), 2) private national boards, like CISCE, 3) State boards, like UP Board, and 4) international national boards.
The education boards typically conduct Class 10 (secondary) and Class 12 (higher secondary) exams.
The CBSE is the most popular national education board in the country, with more than 29,000 schools affiliated to it.
On the other hand, NIOS is extremely popular among students who can’t afford regular classes. There are currently around 2.7 million students enrolled in NIOS affiliated schools.
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Types of Education Boards in India
There are FOUR types of School Education Boards in India:
- National Boards
- Private National Boards
- State Boards
- International National Boards
Here we discuss each board in detail. So, keep reading!
National Education Boards
There are two categories of national boards in the country.
| S.No | Name of recognized Education Board |
| 1 | Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) |
| 2 | National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) |
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CBSE Board
The full form of CBSE is the Central Board of Secondary Education. It is a national-level board that is managed and controlled by the Union Government. Both public and private schools are affiliated to the CBSE.
The CBSE currently conducts the CBSE Class 10 and CBSE Class 12 exams across the country and abroad.
Types of schools affiliated with the CBSE
- Kendriya Vidyalayas
- Government/ Aided schools
- Independent schools
- Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas
- Central Tibetan Schools
Currently, 29,056 schools are affiliated to the CBSE.
Curriculum followed
CBSE-affiliated schools strictly follow the NCERT curriculum, especially from Class 9 to 12.
NIOS
The full form of NIOS is the National Institute of Open Schooling.
The NIOs official website reads, “NIOS is “Open School” to cater to the needs of a heterogeneous group of learners up to pre-degree level.”
The NIOS provides relevant continuing education at school stage, up to pre-degree level through Open Learning system.
Regional Centers
NIOS has the following regional centers.
| Allahabad | Bhopal | Chandigarh |
| Delhi | Guwahati | Hyderabad |
| Jaipur | Kolkata | Kochi |
| Patna | Pune | Dehradun |
| Bhubaneswar | Bengaluru | Gandhinagar |
| Raipur | Chennai | Ranchi |
| Dharamshala | Visakhapatnam | Sikkim (Gangtok) |
| Amethi (Sub Regional Centre as Darbhanga,Kota) |
Number of Study Centres
| Type of study center | Number of study centers |
| Academic (AIs) | 3530 This include 26 AI in U.A.E, Nepal, Kuwait, Qatar,Muscat and Kingdom of Bahrain |
| Vocational (AVIs) | 1379 |
| Open Basic Education (OBE) (AAs) | 1313 |
The Study Centres are known as Accredited Institutions (AIs) for Academic Courses, Accredited Vocational Institutions (AVIs) for Vocational Education Courses and Accredited Agencies (AAs) for Open Basic Education (OBE) courses.
Student Enrollment
| Enrollment Type | Total Percentage |
| Secondary | 46% |
| Senior Secondary | 49% |
| Vocational | 5% |
| Cumulative Enrolment | 2.71 million |
Courses Offered
- Open Basic Education (OBE) (A level, B level, C level equivalent to Class III, V, VIII respectively of formal Education) courses are offered through Accredited Agencies (AAs).
- Secondary – leading to Secondary School Certificate.
- Sr. Secondary – leading to Senior Secondary School Certificate.
- Open Vocational Education.
- Life Enrichment Programmes.
Study Material
Printed Self Instructional study materials supported by Audio- Video programmes. A half yearly Magazine “Open Learning” is also provided to the learners.
School Boards under the Department of Higher Education, GoI
- Maharshi Sandipani Rashtriya Veda Sanskrit Shiksha Board, Ujjain
- Bhartiya Shiksha Board, Haridwar
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Private National Boards
| S.No | Name of recognized Education Board | Relevant Acts/Executive orders |
| 1 | Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) | CISCE has been mentioned in Delhi School Education Act 1973 as a body conducting Public Examination in NCT of Delhi. For functioning out of NCT of Delhi, CISCE has taken / has to take approval / NOC from the concerned State/UT Government for functioning in their jurisdiction. |
The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) is a non-governmental, privately owned national-level education board in India responsible for administering the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) examination for Class X and the Indian School Certificate (ISC) for Class XII.
The CISCE has more than 2750 affiliated schools spread across every State and Union Territory in India and in five countries overseas.
English is the language of instruction in CISCE affiliated schools.
The CISCE conducts the following THREE examinations:
- ICSE – The Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE –Class X)
- ISC – The Indian School Certificate (ISC – ClassXII)
- CVE – The Certificate of Vocational Education (CVE – Year 12)
Note that the subject choices and syllabus prescribed for the exams are varied and are aimed at nurturing the unique abilities and gifts of the student.
International Boards
International and foreign boards are permitted by the appropriate authority to function in India, unless deemed ineligible based on existing laws, rules, norms, or directives of the appropriate government at any subsequent date. The qualifications granted by these boards must have been recognized as equivalent by the authority designated by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, for this specific purpose.
- International Baccalaureate (IB)
- Cambridge International Examinations (CIE)
- French Baccalaureate (FB)
- Canadian Board
State Education Boards
Besides the three National Boards, most states have their own boards. Some of the state boards are listed here:
- BUP Board – Board of High School and Intermediate Education Uttar Pradesh
- AHSEC – Assam Higher Secondary Education Council
- SEBA – Secondary Education Board of Assam
- RBSE – Board of Secondary Education, Rajasthan
- HPBoSE – Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education
- MPBSE – Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education
- CGBSE – Chhattisgarh Board of Secondary Education
- PSEB – Punjab School Education Board
- BSEH – Haryana Board of School Education (HBSE)
- BSEB – Bihar School Examination Board
- GSEB – Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board
- MSBSHSE – Maharashtra State Board Of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education
- BIEAP – Andhra Pradesh Board of Intermediate Education
- BSEAP – Andhra Pradesh Board of Secondary Education
- WBBSE – West Bengal Board of Secondary Education
- WBCHSE – West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education
- JKBOSE – Jammu and Kashmir State Board of School Education
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