Why is Homeschooling Better Than Physical School
In this world of rapid and cursory changes, our Indian education system has witnessed numerous new methods of instruction. Today, most of us are aware of terms like hybrid learning, and online homeschool programs. And many parents also believe in the advantage homeschooling has over physical schooling.
In other words, our current Indian schooling patterns are way beyond the vicinity of traditional schools. Because India has embraced revolutionary changes like home-based education, instead of labeling these options as a pandemic makeshift!
If you have ever googled the term homeschool near me, this article will answer all your questions!
Read on to know all this and more factual information right here!
What Is Homeschooling?
Home education or homeschooling is a term that describes an educational method carried out at home. With this choice, a student does not visit a particular institution dedicated to impart instructional delivery. Instead, the teaching and learning process is carried out at home.
Why Do People Homeschool?
For ages now, our traditional schooling system is criticized for its ongoing flaws. Choices like home-based learning are a response to unresolved challenges like:
- Poor quality education (8th grader did not know English Grammar)
- Bullying (refer to the chart below)
- Shortage of teachers (a deficit of around 1 million teachers by the year 2021)
- Out-of-school children (estimated around 9.3 lakh by March 2023)
- High cost of education (for 15 years of schooling it’s around 30 lakh for a private school)
The need to tailor a child’s education and combat challenges is quite similar across the world. Hence, to understand why do people homeschool, we must look at the patterns of the destinations that have embraced this choice for longer. Let’s take a look at the pioneer destination for home-based education, the U.S.A. before we discuss some more specific reasons for taking up this choice in India.
Some Figures from the United States
Globally, The United States has one of the largest student base who have taken up homeschooling. In 2021-22, 6% of the total students in the U.S. were a part of this educational paradigm (around 3.1 million).
It is noteworthy, that parents in this part of the world had some clear reasons to take up this choice, here’s a look at some of these top reasons:
- 80.3%- School environment
- 74.7% – To provide moral instructions
- 74.6% – To spend time together as a family
- 72.6% – Not satisfied with the level of instruction imparted in schools
Facts About Indian Parents
Coming back to India, we are yet to figure out a detailed weightage for the exact reasons why kids home school in India. However, some sources do prove similarity in the mindset of Indian parents with those in the U.S.
Here’s a gist of an enlightening report to take you closer to the perspective of the Indian parents:
Indian parents shared the following reasons for choosing this educational alternative:
- Keen to take up subjects beyond the regular CBSE syllabus
- Unconventional ambitions (of the students)
- Customizing education beyond regular designs
- Stringent education system
- To focus on developing emotional intelligence
- Acknowledging the individual brilliance of the child
- The need to merge varied curriculum choices
Clearly, home-based learning is not very popular in India. And the most obvious reason is the ambiguity related to I’TS LEGITIMACY in the Indian context.
Let’s decode this aspect now!
Is Homeschooling Valid in India?
Our country’s education system is highly policy-driven. As a result, its backbone is the Right to Education Act 2009. According to the RTE 2009, there is no mention of an educational alternative like homeschooling for regular Indian students. Chapter II of this act does allow home-based education for children with disability/disabilities (under clause 3).
In other words, there is no clear policy that permits or denies homeschooling in India.
Does this mean that this act denies the advantage homeschooling can extend to students?
Not really!!
You can still homeschool a child in India. Here’s how.
How can I get Homeschooled in India?
Below is a list of some legitimate options for home-based education in India.
Option 1- National Institute of Open Schooling
The oldest and most popular way to choose home-based schooling in India is through the NIOS. This platform covers many crucial educational levels. Here’s a look at the school-level offerings:
- Open Basic Education Programme with 3 levels (OBE level A -equivalent to class I-III, OBE level B – equal to class IV-V and OBE level C – equal to class VI-VIII).
- Secondary course (equivalent to class X).
- Senior Secondary course (equivalent to class XII)
Option 2- Specific State Boards
Keeping the current trends and the advantage homeschooling can offer, some Indian states have legalized the choice of home-based learning. Here’s more:
Maharashtra Open Educational Board:
Back in the year 2019, the government of Maharashtra acknowledged the need to make homeschooling a legitimate choice for students. This legendary move targets all types of students who wish to take up unconventional schooling for any reason. In a month’s time from the launch date, 66 students were enrolled in this board.
Delhi Model Virtual School:
Another homeschooling option is Delhi’s state-level virtual school for students (classes 9th to 12) called Delhi Model Virtual School or the DMVS. This one is 100% tuition free. And is totally legitimate in every sense of the term. Students who clear their exams are awarded mark sheets and certificates by the Delhi Board of School Education (DBSE). And these credentials are as good as the ones awarded by any other valid boards (like CBSE) in India.
Option 3- International Boards (Private Candidates)
Students who take up home-based learning can also appear for exams conducted by valid international boards such as Cambridge International. This choice is available under the section for ‘Private Candidates’. And students can find a valid academic option with this one.
Option 4 – Accredited Online Schools
For parents who want to take up an online homeschool program in India, the choice of virtual schools is open to them. While many of us find the status of homeschooling vague in the prominent educational policies, (like the RTE 2009, and the National Education Policy 2020) some credible journals are throwing light on some relevant facts to enlighten the parent community about this option.
As per The Times of India, legally accredited online schools (offering British or American curriculums) are 100% valid for homeschooling. You can now check the list of best online school and see if it suits your child.
List of online schools in India 2023
Moving on to a couple of more important facts now.
How Many Children in India are Homeschooled?
There’s not much factual information about the exact number of homeschoolers in India. According to HSLDA, i.e. Home School Legal Defense Association, there were around 1000 children thriving with this alternative (report published in October 2019).
Since then, there have been many changes within the Indian education system such as the State Board validation for home-based learning. And the introduction of online schools after the pandemic. All in all, it is logical to believe that the number of home-based learners must have increased at a high rate.
How to Find the Best Homeschool for Your Child?
If parents feel the need to take up this educational choice, they can readily do this through any of the legal options (already mentioned above). We suggest you take up in-depth research before shortlisting any option. Because this will help you to find the most viable choice that can suit the needs and temperament of your child.
Which Homeschooling is Best in India?
India already has a network of online schools and another option for students to appear as private candidates. The best homeschooling choice is certainly one that reduces the burden on parents without compromising on the child’s education.
You can find this perfect mix in the online homeschool programs offered by K8 School.
Here’s a quick look at all that you can expect from K8 School’s online programs:
- Minimum prerequisites
- Transparent platform
- Convenience for parents
- Quality, legitimacy, and credibility
Conclusion
In India, homeschooling does come with advantages. But for parents, it can be a tedious task to manage everything about their child’s education completely on their own. The best way to take up this educational alternative is to stay within the mainstream system and choose a legitimate platform. This way, the child can avail the benefits of home-based learning. At the same time, he/she will also have the feasibility to join another school or college at a later stage.
To sum up, homeschooling is better than any physical school if you go for it THE RIGHT WAY!
Thanks for Reading!
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Homeschooling valid in India?
There is no clear policy that defines the status of this educational option in India. However, there are still ways of taking up some 100% legal choices for home-based learning. The NIOS, accredited online schools, international boards, or state boards with specific options are some legitimate options that are available for students.
- How can I get homeschooled in India?
Students can take up the programs at the legitimate open educational boards, or the open school. Other than this, they can also appear as a private candidate under the international boards. In addition, accredited online programs are also credible for Indian students.
- How many children in India are homeschooled?
The recent data shows only a student base of around 1000 in India. However, this is nowhere close to the actual number. Because there is no formal survey for home-based learning by a government body or any other credible source.
- Which homeschooling is best in India?
You can check out educational programs that amalgamate the best features of international curriculums with Indian values. Accredited online schools like K8 School have such feature-loaded programs.
- What Is homeschooling?
With home-based learning student is not sent to a formal institution to study. Instead, school education is carried out at home.
- Why do people homeschool?
There can be varied reasons for taking up educational alternatives. The most common ones are poor quality instructions, teacher-related issues in regular schools, concern with the traditional school environment, the rising cost of education, accessibility, and addressing unique learning needs, etc.
- How to find the best homeschool for your child?
You can check the best options through the official websites of legitimate platforms. Most of the features are self-explanatory in nature. Rest, you can always contact the school/institution directly through their formal call or e-mail channels.
- How to find the best homeschool near me?
You can follow a simple process of jotting down your requirements in the form of a checklist format. Simply look for the features of the shortlisted schools (through internet research). And see how close these schools get to fulfill your requirements. You can also book a demo session to know the details of accredited online schools. in addition, checking internet reviews might also help to some extent.
******************************************************************************************