hooling Education in India: Resources
As mentioned earlier there are many supporting bodies in India which back this option of education in various active and passive manners, some of these have been mentioned in the following paragraph.
Indian Association of Homeschoolers: Also known as Swashikshan, it is a non-profit initiative of homeschooling children, parents, guardians and friends. The members of this association include homeschoolers residing in India, irrespective of nationality & homeschoolers of Indian origin, irrespective of location. Website – http://homeschoolers.in
Homeschooling Forum: It discusses and facilitates homeschooling, unschooling and attachment parenting at the local & national level in India. Website – http://indiahomeschoolers.ning.com/
Twitter of Homeschooling in India: A platform for sharing general links & stuff of interest to homeschoolers in India (and to people in the education field). Website – https://twitter.com/indiahomeschool
FB of Homeschoolers, India: Indian homeschoolers have their own Facebook account where they can share their views and so on. Websites – https://www.facebook.com/indiahomeschool http://www.facebook.com/pages/Homeschooling-Alternative-Education-in-India/135772739790943
Homeschooling in India Yahoo Group: An online support group which facilitates information regarding home educating. Website – http://groups.yahoo.com/group/alt-ed-india/
Google Group of Indian Homeschoolers: Alt-learn-blr is a google based group of homeschoolers and their supporters in India. Website – http://groups.google.com/group/alt-learn-blr/about
Some Indian Homeschooling Websites / Links
http://alternativeeducationindia.wordpress.com/
http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/regional/India.htm
http://www.alternativeeducationindia.net/
http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/
http://indiahomeschoolersconference.blogspot.in/
http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/news/india-matters-coming-home-to-school/216468
Some Supporting Organisations
Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), Multiworld Network, http://multiworldindia.org/, International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), Pune Homeschoolers Group.
These resources work in favour of homeschooling education in India in any possible and legal manner which includes communicating, consultations, holding events and other beneficial and supportive activities.
Legality of Homeschooling in India
Education comes under the Right to Education (RTE) Act which came into effect on April 1, 2010. The act makes it mandatory for every child, from 6 to 14 years, to be enrolled in a formal school. However, there is controversy regarding the legal status of homeschooling in India. This controversy started when Shreya Sahai, a 14-year-old girl filed a petition in 2011 through her mother, contending that – ‘Section 18 of RTE Act does not recognise any other mode of imparting education except the one through formal schooling’. The petition further sought a direction to include home-schooling and alternative education schools under the ‘specified category’ under Section 2(P) of the RTE Act.
In response, the Centre filed an affidavit in the Delhi high court in July 2012. As per the affidavit “Parents who voluntarily opt for systems of home-schooling and such alternative forms of schooling may continue to do so. The RTE Act does not come in the way of such schooling methodologies or declare such forms of education illegal.” The affidavit also said, “National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) for children in the age group of 6-14 years will only be allowed to run up to 2015”.
But in October 2012, the Union government stated before a division bench of the Delhi High Court, that “Its earlier stand towards home education was incorrect and contrary to Section 10 of the Act”. The court has given time to the Centre to file a new affidavit towards this statement. Technically speaking, until a final decision is made towards this issue, “Homeschooling in India is not allowed as per the RTE Act as of December 2012. But taking a close look at the RTE Act reveals another facet. The RTE document does not refer to homeschooling or neither does it make clear on it being illegal. The act is more focused on the duty of the state in regulating education. With reference to a Homeschooling website – http://homeschoolers.in/is-homeschooling-illegal/, the assumption of the illegality of homeschooling is quite in contradiction with Article 26 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights which clearly states that – “Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.” So how can homeschooling be illegal?
Home Schooling in India: Promoting Factors
Different parents and/or children have different reasons for choosing to homeschool as an option for educating their siblings. These reasons are also the contributing factors towards this type of education.
Dissatisfaction with the Conventional System of Education: The conventional system of Indian Education is flawed in a major way as opined by the majority of citizens. The Indian Education system prepares students for appearing in examinations rather than preparing them for the real world. Parents are not happy with the education they themselves have got from the education system. They have lost faith in the education system and feel that they can provide a better education at home.
Flexibility: Flexibility is another major promoting factor for homeschooling. Parents or kids can decide what they want to study and when they want to study. Flexible study also allows more socialisation within or outside the house. One can decide independently how much study is enough or deficient. This way the child learns at his own pace and can avoid stress related to the pace of covering syllabus.
Disabilities: For children with learning disorders homeschooling is a better option. Such kids will not face any sort of discriminatory or derogatory act. Parents have a better knowledge of their own as compared to teachers who could be partially or totally unaware of what matters the most. Certain mental or physical disabilities also encourage homeschooling.
Less Stress: The prevalent education system in India puts a lot of performance pressure on kids. Those who do not perform well are condemned and those who are naughty are punished. Various competitive examinations in India and their accompanying pre and pro processes have an overbearing effect on those involved. Stress, aggression, abuse, violence and other negative behaviour is the outcome of the race to excel.
Mindset: Some kids do not like to attend school due to various reasons or simply a preference. Some parents also do not prefer that their kids should go to any school. Some kids are able to do well while studying in the home as compared to going to school. They are better at studying at home than going regularly to school. Some parents, especially those living in rural areas feel that conventional education is biased against their moral values and social requirements.
Teacher-Student Ratio: The major factor affecting the Indian Education System has been the skewed ratio of student-teacher in a school or college environment. 1 Teacher teaching 30 or so students cannot give the quality of education to each individual, nor is it possible for the teachers to provide undivided attention.
Online Forums: Online forums address various issues related to homeschooling. Parents can interact with each other and get solutions for their problems. Parents, tutors and students feel a sense of belongingness towards a common objective.
Better Attention to Specialisation: In a conventional school environment a child’s specialisation may go unnoticed or unappreciated. Interests like music, dance or any non-academic skill are generally not given much support. This attitude does not do justice to the talent of the individual. Homeschooling offers the facility to go for what one is perfect in. Musician, sportsperson etc. require more training in their chosen field instead of just pure academics.
Enjoyment in Education: It is not a hidden fact that nobody has got enjoyment from education at school, of course, exceptions are always there, but very few. At home, education can be delivered in more ways than possible in a school environment. Kids or parents can mould education with props like CD’s, puppets or activities like a visit to a zoo, cooking, artistry etc. Such a form of education brings variety in education as compared to the repetitive routine of schooling.
Safety: Safety here means both physically and mentally. Children can be spared from bullying, adultery, addictions or any other negative influence which children face while studying in a school. (Ends)
– The writer is Principal (retired) and Educational Columnist from Malout Punjab. He can be reached at vkmalout@gmail.com