Cambridge University Press & Assessment plans expansion to over 4,000 schools by 2025

As of now, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Gujarat are the states with the highest number of Cambridge schools in India.

More than 600 schools across India offer Cambridge programmes and qualifications, and the university has doubled its schools in India since 2013-14. Each year, it has been registering around 40-50 schools in India.

“We have more than 2,000 schools in K-12 publishing, making us a significant player in the Indian education ecosystem, and we will continue to build on it, expanding our reach to over 4,000 schools by 2025,” Arun Rajamani, Managing Director of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, South Asia, told Moneycontrol.

These 2,000 schools are affiliated with Cambridge for their K-12 segment to which Cambridge provides end-to-end solutions.

As of now, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Gujarat are the states with the highest number of Cambridge schools in India. Among the cities, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Pune have the highest number of Cambridge schools.

“Given our long-standing relationship with Indian schools and our deep integration with the education system in India, the country is a high-growth market for us,” Rajamani said, adding: “It is an exciting time for education in India, and Cambridge has the ambition to double growth by 2025.”

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Why are schools and parents opting for the Cambridge system?

Mumbai-based Chatrabhuj Narsee School follows Cambridge Pathways from the Early Years through to the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE).

“[The system] offers a plethora of subjects for students to opt from in the Upper Secondary Section and is perfectly aligned to the vision of the NEP (National Education Policy). Cambridge International has also worked with the local bodies to ensure the acceptance of Forecast Grades in India and students now have an option to seamlessly transition to local colleges,” Merzeen Doctor, the principal of Chatrabhuj Narsee School, told Moneycontrol

These factors helped in the acceptance of Cambridge International schools in India, Doctor said.

A forecast grade is the grade a teacher expects a student to achieve for the syllabus.

The Director and Principal of Mumbai-based DG Khetan International School also believes that the progression after grade 10 is India-friendly. “The Board is not rigid in terms of requirements of land and appointment of teachers’’ said Kavita Aggarwal.

The flexibility of the curriculum allows children to pick any combination of subjects that suit their interests and strengths, said Anu Vignesh, the mother of a student, Mayanka.

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The wide range of subjects offered by Cambridge helps her children explore different fields and is a definite plus, said another parent, Ashwinie D, the mother 14-year-old Ahria, who studies in Grade 8, and 7-year-old Rhianna, enrolled in Grade 3.

Availability of teachers a challenge

India’s NEP aims to provide holistic education from the early years to the university level to meet the needs of a 21st century India. It is based on the four pillars of access, equity, quality and accountability.

Critical to achieving its aims will be the availability of high-quality teachers across the education ecosystem, not just limited to urban centres, Rajamani said.

“The capacity of teachers and their capability to meet the needs of learners today, aligning to the requirements of the NEP is, therefore, the biggest challenge we see,” Rajamani said.

The good news is that both the central government and state governments are aware of the challenge and are deeply committed to working on reforming the curriculum, looking at modernising their assessments and building teaching capability, he added.

Foreign universities in India

Rajamani says “world-class, research-led” universities are being set up in the private sector, some of which are introducing innovative programmes and conducting core research.

“These universities have been able to attract faculty that have taught in the best global universities and have also established partnerships and collaboration with leading global universities too,” he said.

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A regulation to permit foreign universities to set up campuses in India will “augment this development and bring more global resources, foster more collaborative research programs and attract global faculty to teach in India,” he said, declining to comment on any plans by the University of Cambridge to set up a facility in India.