Homeschooling In Karnataka: Online Resources, Pros And Cons

Is homeschooling gaining popularity in Karnataka? Why more and more parents prefer homeschooling? Let’s find out

It’s been months since students heard the school bell signal the end of the day. Many worried parents have started exploring the idea of homeschooling their little ones. While some worry about when schools will reopen, others are wondering what the future of classroom education will be like.

Lockdown Activities For Children – Listen To The Little Cloud

What Is Homeschooling?

Homeschooling isn’t the same as helping your child follow online schooling modules. It isn’t just about giving your child an education at home, it’s a way of life.

Here, children learn through experiences and must develop the ability to be self-aware. It goes against traditional forms of education and is not dependent on any specific school methodology. Both the child and parents must be self-motivated for this system to be effective.

In terms of high school certifications, homeschoolers can go through the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) or National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).

Alternatively, families may choose to move away completely from having a defined curriculum and help children gain knowledge through eclectic activities.

For example, the student may learn about farming by growing herbs in a pot. In such cases, a college education is pursued only if the child is passionate about it.

Who’s Homeschooling In India?

It’s hard to pinpoint an exact number of families choosing to homeschool their children. The highest concentration of homeschoolers is in Pune, followed by Mumbai. At third place is Ahmedabad. Other cities with a high concentration of homeschoolers include Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai. Homeschooling is a popular choice in Kerala as well.

The Social Side Of Homeschooling In Karnataka

Homeschooling is often assumed to be a solitary activity. Unlike regular schooling, there are no parent-teacher meetings involved, no sports days or annual days and no group activities. However, there is still a lot of social activity involved.

For example, parents and children may get support for their educational endeavors through WhatsApp and Facebook groups or open learning centers. Many of these groups have been started by homeschoolers and have no joining fees. Some of these groups even organize group activities like meet-ups, field trips and play dates.

Open learning centers like Shikshantar in Udaipur host 5-day retreats for up to 20-25 families to learn and bond with each other. Similarly, Swashikshan—Indian Association of Homeschoolers hosts annual meets for homeschooled children and their families. Here too the families will stay together for 4-5 days.

Aarohi, another open learning center offers community unschooling in a village campus 60km from Bengaluru. Here, children stay on the campus from Monday to Friday. Optionally, parents can choose to stay here too. The learning activities in this center are designed around what the child likes to do.

Homeschooling Concerns

Given the amount of importance we tend to give certificates, homeschooling has its own concerns. Many parents worry about whether their children will be accepted by universities if they want to study further. Others worry about short-term future plans of whether their child will be able to rejoin school at a later age.

The good news is that today, many companies are going beyond the need for college degrees when scouting for new talent. In the post-pandemic world, the adaptability of homeschooled children may in fact give them an edge over others.