As the sector matures, international schools must support public schooling: TAISI chair

In an interview with Careers360, Syed Sultan Ahmed, chairperson of The Association of International Schools of India (TAISI), answered a wide range of questions on the growth of IB, Cambridge and other international schools, regulation, fee comparison with CBSE and ICSE ones, teacher recruitment, AI and the sector’s relationship with public schooling. Edited excerpts from the conversation:

How many members does TAISI have? When was the association set up, by whom and why?

TAISI is a not-for-profit platform set up about two decades ago — formally established in 2005 — to bring together international schools in India. When we started, there were fewer than 20 such schools; it was a very niche sector serving a small, specialised audience. Today TAISI has roughly 300 member schools.

The reason we set it up was simple: somebody had to build an ecosystem. The industry grows when the ecosystem is right — accreditation bodies, exam boards, training, sharing of good practice. Over the years TAISI’s role has been to encourage those international standards and help mature the sector.

The media note says the count of international schools rose from 884 to 972 in five years from 2019 — that’s less than 100 schools. Isn’t that slow growth?

On the face of it that increase looks small, and numbers alone can be misleading. If you ask Cambridge they may say they have around 1,000 schools in India, International Baccalaureate (IB) around 253 — and schools can hold multiple affiliations, so there’s overlap.

Affiliation processes can take two to three years; some schools are ‘in process’ and not yet counted. If you look at mature, established international schools, the count is around 900-1,000; ideally the ecosystem should be 1,200-1,300 when you count all the types and newer entrants.

So, while five-year snapshots look modest, the on-the-ground picture includes many schools transitioning, new programmes launching and overlaps between boards. Parent demand and aspiration have been rising steadily, which points to faster growth ahead.

Also read NEP 2020 gives Indian schools space for new way of learning, with creativity, contemplation

Have you noticed any patterns in growth? Any noticeable increase in tier-2 or tier-3 towns?

Most of the early growth has been in big urban centres, driven by international curricula demand and expatriate communities. That said, we’re seeing aspiration spread: the average Indian parent now knows about international options and as affordability options emerge, it becomes more relevant to larger sections of society. I expect the sector to become more mature and more impactful beyond the major metros over time.

How many of these international schools also hold CBSE or ICSE affiliation?

That’s based on a fraction. There are roughly 50,000 CBSE schools and many more following state boards. International schools in India number around 900-1,000 in the mature count. Only a minority of international schools also keep a CBSE or ICSE affiliation. Overlap exists — a school might run dual programmes or be transitioning — but compared to the total number of national-board schools, the overlap is tiny.”

International schools are often seen as very expensive. What is your take on that?

There’s no denying that international schools are perceived as expensive. But you must look at the economics carefully. The state’s per-child spend — when you divide government education expenditure by student numbers — comes to a significant figure. I mentioned at the conference that, by one calculation, government spending per child can be in the order of Rs 70,000–80,000 a year, which is similar to what a decent CBSE school might charge.

International programmes can be costlier —WACE offers an alternative, with operational costs for schools implementing it 30-40% lower than other international curricula. As an international government curriculum, it provides an affordable yet authentic pathway to global education, making it viable even for schools with limited resources. I gave a broad figure of roughly a lakh a year as an example — but that number varies widely by city, campus, teacher mix and the kind of programmes and facilities offered. High fees are often tied to infrastructure, teacher development, international curriculum licensing and accreditation costs. The question should be: what outcomes does the fee buy, and how can the sector better support wider public education rather than simply being criticised as it's an elitist question.

Also read Board Exam 2026 Pattern Change: After CBSE, 5 states adopt competency-based questions, create question banks

There’s disquiet among some government bodies, including CBSE, that international schools are not following domestic laws such as RTE or state school laws. Is that true? Do you, for example, follow the 26% EWS reservation? What is your and TAISI’s stand?

Schools are set up under state laws — licences and permissions are state matters. The state issues an NOC or permission and then a school chooses the curriculum it wishes to adopt — IB, Cambridge, an Australian model, etc. Once set up, schools must comply with the state rules applicable to them.

On the 26% EWS reservation: there are principled arguments for such measures, but implementation raises practical and economic questions. At times mandated social programmes can be difficult for individual institutions to deliver without broader system support. I argued that the right answer is not to simply move students out of government schools into private ones, but for private schools to systematically support and help improve government schools — through teacher training, adopting schools, sharing resources and technology.

If I were an education minister, I would make it compulsory that private institutions engage in measurable support for government schools rather than seeing the debate as purely about intake quotas. In short: private schools should cooperate with public schooling and contribute to system-wide improvement; but accountability and implementability need to be thought through.

Do TAISI member schools recruit teachers from abroad? How is teacher recruitment done and how is it different from regular private schools? What qualifications do you look for?

Recruitment is a mix. Some schools hire international teachers; others focus on Indian teachers. There needs to be a fair exchange — teachers from India can learn from international colleagues and vice versa. I would say that recruiting only from abroad is not the solution; building exchange programmes, sister-school relationships and professional development pathways creates better outcomes than simply importing staff.

What we look for is competency in the curriculum being taught, adaptability to blended tech-human teaching, and a commitment to continuous professional development. The recruitment process in international schools often includes additional criteria tied to familiarity with international pedagogies and experience with the exam/assessment systems used by those boards; but fundamentally recruitment should be driven by pedagogic fit, not nationality.

How are international schools thinking about AI?

AI and tech are evolving very quickly. The bigger question is not just an AI policy but how you teach students to adapt — focus on how to teach rather than what to teach. The next 10 years will see AI evolve past whatever policies we write today; education policy will always be playing catch-up. So schools should concentrate on building adaptive learning skills, critical thinking, and resilience to disruption.

Technology combined with human teaching can be beautiful, but adoption varies by teacher. We should create bridges where tech augments teaching rather than replaces the craft of teaching.

Also read ‘Cruelty, not reform’: Supreme Court’s TET ruling will hit 98 lakh, senior teachers hardest, says union

Are there specific challenges you foresee for the sector?

Yes. One is the governance and accountability conversation. Private schools have started asking questions about fee hikes and accountability — that activism is important. Worryingly, there is far less activism around the quality and accountability of government schools, and that is a societal failure. We need more public questioning of how public funds are spent and demand for standards in government provisioning.

Another challenge is ensuring the sector contributes constructively to the public system rather than creating parallel elites. Finally, keeping up with technology and ensuring teachers are supported to use it effectively is an ongoing challenge.

Anything you want to add about the sector’s future?

I think international education in India will continue to mature and become more relevant to a broader segment of society. The aspiration is there; as models innovatively address affordability and as the ecosystem — accreditation, teacher development, tech — grows stronger, impact will widen. But this must be accompanied by a commitment from private schools to help improve government schooling, otherwise the question of equity will remain unresolved.