Indian students cram more activities into their schedules than their peers in the 10 countries surveyed for Cambridge International’s Global Education Census 2018. Almost two-thirds of Indian students take extra tuition for key subjects after school, 72% participate in extra-curricular activities, and 74% say they play sports regularly in school. They also rank highly on the time spent doing homework, with 40% spending 2-4 hours on their homework every day while a good 37% spend the same time over the weekend too.
Cambridge International, the world’s leading provider of international education programmes, has announced the findings of its Global Education Census for 2018. The study gives insight into what life is like in schools around the world today for students and their teachers. The survey was conducted with almost 20,000 teachers and students around the world, including 4400 teachers and 3800 students across India.
The results from the 2018 census illustrate a change in culture and teaching methods in Indian schools. This is a testament to the fact that schools are moving from a rote learning culture to one that focuses on the development of the whole child, which in turn will help students succeed in their professional endeavours. The census also reveals that Indian students are not only driven academically but also make use of other learning opportunities to pursue their own interests and passions.
1. India compares well to developed nations in the 2018 General Education Census which sheds light on life in schools and career choices of students worldwide
2. Indian students do more extra-curricular activities than students in many other countries around the world, including sport and extra classes after school
Interestingly, while the survey shows a positive shift in the teaching culture in Indian schools, it also cements the country’s long-held fascination with engineering and medical careers.
The key findings from the survey are:
Indian students take more extra classes and do more extra-curricular activities than other countries surveyed.
1. India and China have the highest number of students taking extra classes (58%). Those taking extra lessons/tutoring mainly take Maths (74%), Physics (64%) and Chemistry (62%).
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a) Indian students are the most active in the world when it comes to extra-curricular activities (72 %)
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i> Only 11% of Indian students said they don’t take part in any extra-curricular clubs or activities
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ii> Debating is the most popular extracurricular activity (36%), followed by science club (28%), art (25%) and book club (22%)
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b) 74% play sports regularly with badminton (37%), football (30%) and cricket (30%) as top choices
Indian parents have a keen interest in their child’s education
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a) 66% of Indian students say their parents ask about their school day, and over half say their parents attend school events
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b) 41% help with the parent-teacher association – this is the highest proportion of any country globally
Medicine and engineering are the most popular career aspirations of Indian students, and schools are supporting them to achieve these ambitions by providing 
good support services
Indian schools invest in good career advice and health services to help students to achieve their ambitions:
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a) Seven out of 10 (73%) teachers in India say their school provides careers advice/counselling
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b) Indian teachers also report the highest levels of health care (55%) and mental health care (35%) provision of all the countries surveyed
Indian teachers use a blackboard in the classroom more than any other country surveyed, however, use of smart boards is becoming increasingly popular
Most Indian teachers don’t feel pressurised to ensure their students perform well, but they are doing everything in their power to help their students succeed
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a) Indian teachers are the least pressured globally to ensure students perform well in exams, with just 36% reporting pressure.
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b) However, when it comes to preparing students for exams, Indian teachers are amongst the most dedicated in the world.
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i> The majority of teachers surveyed in India say they help their students prepare for exams by teaching them to respond to different types of questions (73%). The second-most common way of offering exam help is to show their students how to plan their time in an exam (68%)
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ii> Indian teachers are also the most likely globally to offer study periods for revision (50%) and to teach students how to create personal revision timetables (42%)
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iii> 33% of teachers in India say their students take multiple mock exams and a final year-end exam
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iv> 26% say their students take two full sets of exams
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c) Students achievements are celebrated very well in Indian schools
Ruchira Ghosh, Regional Director South Asia, Cambridge International, said: “A globalised world means there are more opportunities for students today than in any other time in history. While this has clear benefits, it also means Indian students are investing in developing their knowledge and skills outside the classroom through extra-curricular activities and use supplementary learning resources. Indian teachers are also very dedicated to helping students perform to their best abilities and come top in the survey for their investment in time preparing students well for exams.
She added: ”It was also really nice to see that Indian parents take a keen interest in their children’s progress and it is equally heartening to see that schools are increasingly offering a health care system that focusses as much on mental health as physical.”
Lynn Eldered Menezes, MA (Career and Developmental Counselling) and B.Ed (Social Science) at HVB GLOBAL ACADEMY said: “It is great to see the Indian students are on par with their global counterparts, however teachers should ensure that homework and extra classes do not overly burden their students. Academic competitiveness is important and can make learning fun. The focus, however, should remain on the overall development including the Emotional Quotient which is more important”.
