Once considered a trend only in the West, homeschooling is fast becoming the alternative for parents who find that schools’ teaching methodologies don’t do justice to their children’s abilities and pace of studying

School’s out, learning’s in

Once considered a trend only in the West, homeschooling is fast becoming the alternative for parents who find that schools’ teaching methodologies don’t do justice to their children’s abilities and pace of studying. But are such kids only being mollycoddled and kept away from a wholesome education or do they grow up to be more mature adults?

It’s a school day, but six-year-old Keya Sricharan and her brother, Samin, older by three years, are curled up on the sofa at their house in Nerul, casually flipping through their textbooks. For over a year now, the siblings have not had an early morning wake-up call or have been made to bury their noses in their exercise books. To them, their home is their classroom. When they tire out, they either pick up a story book or watch a movie. Keya and Samin, who should be in classes I and IV, respectively, are among a growing crop of urban Indian children whose young parents have shunned the traditional schooling system. Their parents, Sapna, a homemaker, and Sricharan, an advertising professional, blame the “poor” standards of teaching in schools and the pressure of competition that young kids are saddled with there for their decision to take up homeschooling. Since it is recognised under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, more and more young parents in the city are trying their hand at homeschooling. Samin, says Sapna, went to a regular school for four to five years. But his experiences there left him and the family shaken. “The school curriculum was so rigid that it did not take into account my son’s abilities and pace of studying. It did not give him the space he needed. His strengths lay in general knowledge and other similar subjects, but the school teacher insisted that he was weak because he couldn’t write in cursive style in senior kindergarten.” The Sricharans even switched to another school, hoping that the change would iron out the issues. But they got a raw deal even there. “The constant pressure from teachers started affecting my child. My son, who was only eight years old then, found his self-confidence waning. Even things he used to enjoy, such as reading, became a chore. He was bogged down by the growing pile of books prescribed by the school. By the time he returned from school, he used to look drained,” claims Sapna. When push came to shove, the Sricharans withdrew their children from school on Teachers’ Day last year. The RTE Act’s backing for homeschooling helped them justify their decision. Sapna quit her job as a college professor and took on the responsibility of teaching the kids at home. “At first, we felt like we were the only ones homeschooling our children in India. Luckily, we soon found out that there are hundreds of parents like us in this country. In Mumbai itself, there are over 50 parents, and many more in cities like Bangalore and Pune,” says Sricharan. Samin and Keya are registered as external students with the IGCSE offered by the Cambridge International Examination Board. They do not have to follow a regimented timetable. They learn whatever — and whenever — they feel like. “When Samin used to go to school, he spent about five hours at school and another three doing his homework. He had no time to play. Now, because the timetable is flexible, we slot a couple of hours for studying and the rest of the time is spent in pursuing their areas of interest. They are learning western classical music and swimming, and have time for friends. There is zero stress on them,” smiles the advertising professional. Inspiring free thought Former journalist Sampat Shetty refuses to let his 11-year-old daughter, Sanskriti, don a uniform. He has been homeschooling her since October 2004. Sanskriti never attended even a pre-school. An abacus and a free-spirited attitude was all that Shetty armed himself with when he decided to homeschool her. Shetty, who believes in freedom of thought, says Sanskriti has the choice of attending school if she wants too. “We have never stopped her from experiencing anything. If she feels like joining school at any point of time, she can. We have left the choice to her.” Homeschooling, according to Shetty, has helped Sanskriti keep her individuality and view things with an open mind. At a very young age, she wanted to see a video of childbirth; she saw it 15 times. Now, her understanding of womanhood and the mother-child bond is well beyond her years. At the age of three, she was raising questions about commercialisation of patriotism, asking why the Tricolour is being sold on the roads. “I want my daughter to make her own choices. The present education system is only mass-producing clones. In the rat race, children lose their originality,” argues Shetty. He alleges that at schools, creativity is stifled, the curriculum becomes the boss and education a mere commodity. Shetty and similar-minded parents who are homeschooling their children have started a non-profit initiative, Swashikshan — Indian Association of Homeschoolers, a national body to support homeschooling parents and children. Shetty points out that homeschooled children are able to score high marks, and that many have gone on to join well-known colleges and universities. Trouble socialising? A key argument often cited against homeschooling is that an overprotective environment could churn out socially-inept individuals. Prof Reeta Sowavat, head of the department of human development, SNDT University, feels that a formal education gives children more exposure to a natural environment than homeschooling. “A school is not just about academics. There, children are exposed to others of their age. They learn so much by just looking at their peers. They learn social interaction, how to make friends and are able to work in groups. This teaches children how to deal with different people. Also, sports activities teach them the value of sportsmanship.” Arundhati Chavan, principal of Swayam Siddhi College of Education, agrees, adding that homeschooling gives no scope for socialisation or emotional interaction. Parents who are homeschooling their children, however, reason that they make conscious efforts to ensure that their kids do not just end up sitting at home all day and mix with playmates as well. Riddhima Doshi, who swears by the benefits of homeschooling, says, “Our children play in parks and with other kids from the housing society. They are not locked up at home all the time. In fact, they are able to have conversations with adults and are able to hold their own in debates.”