Homeschooling and alternative education in India

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The legality of homeschooling in India and a plethora of alternative education schools spread over different states has been debated by educators, lawmakers, and parents since the passing of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE) which makes formal education a fundamental right of every child between the ages of 6 and 14 and specifies minimum norms for schools. While the legality of homeschooling still remains a grey area, there have been petitions by parents and alternate schools in the past for granting relief. [1] [2] As per the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to which India is a signatory, quote: "Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children." [3]

Contents

History of alternative schooling in India

In India, from the early 20th century, certain educational theorists have discussed and implemented radically different forms of education. Rabindranath Tagore's Visva-Bharati University, Sri Aurobindo's Sri Aurobindo International Center of Education [4] and Mahatma Gandhi's ideal of "basic education" [5] are prime examples.

In recent years, many new alternative schools have cropped up. [6] [7]

Methodology of homeschooling in India

Homeschoolers in India use a wide variety of methods and materials, at par with international norms, and often customized to fit individual learning styles. Though there is no actual data available, the most prevalent methods in India are Montessori method, Unschooling, Radical Unschooling, Waldorf education and traditional School-at-home. Some of these approaches like Montessori and Waldorf are also available in school settings. Many homeschoolers follow formal education methods at home through CBSE, NIOS (formerly NOS) and IGCSE. Of these, IGCSE and NIOS are especially suited for homeschoolers. [8] As the popularity of homeschooling increases, there are many online homeschooling providers entering the market, Notably 21K School the oldest being Wolsey Hall, Oxford which was established in 1894 [9]

To help students from Class 5 to Class 12 to benefit from homeschooling, the Maharashtra government on January 10, 2019, launched ‘Open SSC board’. Education Minister Vinod Tawde said in a Tweet that the Maharashtra Rajya Mukta Vidyalay Mandal is a platform for athletes, artists, disabled people, seniors and anyone who wishes to continue their academic journey while pursuing others interests and obligations surpassing all hurdles. [10]

Support groups

There are many Internet-based support groups for Alternative schoolers or Homeschoolers in India, with most participants based in major urban Indian cities. However, there is a considerable presence of homeschoolers in small towns who either independently educate their children or who are associated with alternative schools.

Some prominent Internet resources include

In addition, there are conferences, social meetups, apprenticeships and several other organized group activities that allow for knowledge-sharing on a regular basis. [16]

Media reports about homeschooling

In recent years, quite a few homeschooled children in India have made a splash by being accepted into top higher education institutions such as the IIT and MIT. [17] [18] A number of them also choose to be integrated into mainstream education at some point. [19] Some prominent homeschoolers include education entrepreneur, Satya Narayanan R., founder of the "Career Launcher" entrance coaching platform. [20] Some estimates say as many as 15,000 Indian families have decided to keep their children from going to school, choosing instead to develop individual caliber holistically within the community machinery, [21] specially as safety has become a prime concern for parents nowadays. [22]

Related Research Articles

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to education:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homeschooling</span> Education of children outside of a school

Homeschooling or home schooling, also known as home education or elective home education (EHE), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted by a parent, tutor, or an online teacher, many homeschool families use less formal, more personalized and individualized methods of learning that are not always found in schools. The actual practice of homeschooling can vary. The spectrum ranges from highly structured forms based on traditional school lessons to more open, free forms such as unschooling, which is a lesson- and curriculum-free implementation of homeschooling. Some families who initially attended a school go through a deschool phase to break away from school habits and prepare for homeschooling. While "homeschooling" is the term commonly used in North America, "home education" is primarily used in Europe and many Commonwealth countries. Homeschooling should not be confused with distance education, which generally refers to the arrangement where the student is educated by and conforms to the requirements of an online school, rather than being educated independently and unrestrictedly by their parents or by themselves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unschooling</span> Educational method and philosophy; form of homeschooling

Unschooling is an informal learning method that prioritizes learner-chosen activities as a primary means for learning. Unschoolers learn through their natural life experiences including play, household responsibilities, personal interests and curiosity, internships and work experience, travel, books, elective classes, family, mentors, and social interaction. Often considered a lesson- and curriculum-free implementation of homeschooling, unschooling encourages exploration of activities initiated by the children themselves, under the belief that the more personal learning is, the more meaningful, well-understood, and therefore useful it is to the child. While unschooled students may occasionally take courses, unschooling questions the usefulness of standard curricula, fixed times at which learning should take place, conventional grading methods in standardized tests, forced contact with children in their own age group, the compulsion to do homework regardless of whether it helps the learner in their individual situation, the effectiveness of listening to and obeying the orders of one authority figure for several hours each day, and other features of traditional schooling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Holt (educator)</span> American writer and educator (1923–1985)

John Caldwell Holt was an American author and educator, a proponent of homeschooling, and a pioneer in youth rights theory.

An alternative school is an educational establishment with a curriculum and methods that are nontraditional. Such schools offer a wide range of philosophies and teaching methods; some have strong political, scholarly, or philosophical orientations, while others are more ad hoc assemblies of teachers and students dissatisfied with some aspect of mainstream or traditional education.

Alternative education encompasses many pedagogical approaches differing from mainstream pedagogy. Such alternative learning environments may be found within state, charter, and independent schools as well as home-based learning environments. Many educational alternatives emphasize small class sizes, close relationships between students and teachers and a sense of community.

Deschooling is a term invented by Austrian philosopher Ivan Illich. Today, the word is mainly used by homeschoolers, especially unschoolers, to refer to the transition process that children and parents go through when they leave the school system in order to start homeschooling. The process is a crucial basis for homeschooling to work. It involves children gradually transitioning away from their schoolday routine and institutional mentality, redeveloping the ability to learn via self-determination, and discovering what they want to learn in their first homeschool days.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homeschooling in the United States</span> Overview of the situation of homeschooling in the United States of America

Homeschooling constitutes the education of about 3.4% of U.S. students as of 2012. The number of homeschoolers in the United States has increased significantly over the past few decades since the end of the 20th century. In the United States, the Supreme Court has ruled that parents have a fundamental right to direct the education of their children. The right to homeschool is not frequently questioned in court, but the amount of state regulation and help that can or should be expected continues to be subject to legal debate.

Peter Kowalke is an American unschooling advocate best known for his work on grown homeschoolers and the lasting influence of homeschooling. He was one of the first authors to explore the lasting influence that homeschooling has on a person in terms of identity, and produced a large body of work on the topic from 1994 until 2013, after which he stepped back from the homeschooling community to focus on contextualizing the Indian Advaita Vedanta philosophy for American culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dhirubhai Ambani International School</span> Private school

The Dhirubhai Ambani International School (DAIS) is a private co-educational LKG-15 dayschool in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, built by Reliance Industries, named after the late patriarch of the conglomerate, Dhirubhai Ambani. The school was established in 2003 and has been an IB World School since January 2003. It offers the International Baccalaureate Program in its Diploma form. Nita Ambani, wife of Mukesh Ambani is the chairperson of the school.

Single-parent homeschooling is the practice of conducting homeschool by a parent who may be the sole breadwinner for the family. According to the peer-review journal Education Policy Analysis, based on the findings of the National Household Education Survey, of the National Center of Educational Statistics, between 1994 and 1999 the number of single-parent homeschools almost doubled. No further statistics are currently available. It is the general perception, by most homeschooling advocates, that most single-parent homeschools are led by a self-employed single parent, one that is receiving public assistance, or someone that has received a life insurance settlement. In some single-parent homeschool circles it is thought that most-single parent homeschools are run by parents who work full-time jobs outside the home. No statistics have been compiled to confirm or invalidate either supposition.

The Montessori method was practiced in the United States early after its invention. While the name is not trademarked and there is no central authority for the method, the American Montessori Society (AMS) was established in 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homeschooling international status and statistics</span> Overview of the legal situation and prevalence of homeschooling around the world

Homeschooling is legal in many countries. Countries with the most prevalent homeschooling movements include Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Some countries have highly regulated homeschooling programs as an extension of the compulsory school system; few others, such as Germany, have outlawed it entirely. In some other countries, while not restricted by law, homeschooling is not socially acceptable, or is considered undesirable, and is virtually non-existent.

Homeschooling in New Zealand is legal. The Ministry of Education reports annually on the population, age, ethnicity, and turnover of students being educated at home.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walden's Path</span> Private school in Hyderabad, Telangana, India

Walden's Path School is located in Hyderabad, India. It follows Cambridge IGCSE syllabi. The School is inspired by Jiddu Krishnamurti's Educational Philosophy.

Podar International School is a group of schools that is a part of the Podar Education Network that was established in 1927 by Sheth Anandilal Podar, with Mahatma Gandhi as the first President of the trust. The group is headquartered in Mumbai. It offers educational streams such as the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), Secondary School Certificate (SSC), Cambridge (IGCSE) and International Baccalaureate (IB).

The Universal School is a chain of international schools located across 40 locations across India. The education model is a co-educational day and residential schools that provide education for primary with upper primary and secondary. The school is associated with International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and is authorized to offer the Cambridge IGCSE exams for grade 10th. The school chain has over 40000 students with 15 full-time teachers.

In Canada, homeschooling has increased in popularity since the advent of the 21st century. It is legal in every province, with each province having its own regulations around the practice. In some provinces, funding is available. In 2016, the number of homeschooled children in Canada was approximately 60,000 ; this corresponds to approximately one in every 127 school-aged children. In 2020, the average growth rate of the practice amounted to more than 5 per cent per year. Canada has a large proportion of non-religiously motivated homeschoolers compared to some other countries. It is also one of three countries worldwide, along with the United States and South Africa, that hosts an organization with lawyers on staff which serves the legal needs of home educators.

Education in British Columbia comprises public and private primary and secondary schools throughout the province. Like most other provinces in Canada, education is compulsory from ages 6–16, although the vast majority of students remain in school until they graduate from high school at the age of 18. In 2020, 86% of students in British Columbia graduated from high school within six years of entering grade 8. It is also common for children to attend kindergarten at the age of 5, it is increasingly common for even younger children to attend pre-school or early learning programs before their formal school age years.

References

  1. ↑ "Is homeschooling legal in India?". homeschoolingindia.in. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
  2. ↑ "Legal issues related to RTE and Alternative schools / Homeschooling in India". Alternativeeducationindia.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
  3. ↑ "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" (PDF). ohchr.org. Retrieved 2018-01-12.
  4. ↑ "Sri Aurobindo International Center of Education". sriaurobindoashram.org. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
  5. ↑ "EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY OF MAHATMA GANDHI WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO CURRICULUM OF BASIC EDUCATION". International Education and Research Journal. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
  6. ↑ "A list of some Alternative schools in India". Alternativeeducationindia.net. Archived from the original on 2010-07-28. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
  7. ↑ "A list of alternative schools based on Waldorf method in India" . Retrieved 2010-09-01.
  8. ↑ "Boards and Homeschoolers". homeschoolers.in. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
  9. ↑ Morrish, Ivor (2013) [First published 1970]. Education Since 1800. Routledge. p. 161. ISBN   9781134532513.
  10. ↑ "Maharashtra Government Open SSC Board". indiatimes.com. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
  11. ↑ "Alt Ed India Yahoo group". Groups.yahoo.com. 2001-11-17. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
  12. ↑ "Swashikshan". homeschoolers.in. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
  13. ↑ Cascade Family Learning Society
  14. ↑ "Aangan Chaura".
  15. ↑ "Playgic unschooling".
  16. ↑ "Unschool is so cool: Parents look at alternative forms of learning – 26 Nov 2017 Bangalore Mirror, India". bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com. 2017-11-26. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
  17. ↑ "Delhi IIT-JEE topper is just 14 & homeschooled – 27 May 2010 Times of India, India". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 2010-05-27. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
  18. ↑ "All parents can opt for homeschooling: MIT girl Malvika Joshi's mother – 31 Aug 2016 Hindustan Times, India". Hindustan Times. 2016-08-31. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
  19. ↑ "Homeschooling in India – Some Key Findings and Myths Busted – 19 Sep 2017 First Moms Club, India". firstmomsclub.in. 2017-09-19. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
  20. ↑ "The De-school brigade – 16 May 2010 India Today, India". indiatoday.in. 2010-05-16. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
  21. ↑ "Hey Teachers! Leave our kids alone: Is 'Unschooling' becoming a trend in urban India? – 21 Dec 2017 Hindustan Times, India". timesnownews.com. 2017-12-21. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
  22. ↑ "Homeschooling piques interest of parents in Mumbai – 07 Oct 2017 Times of India, India". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 2017-10-07. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
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