Parents break free, homeschool kids

HUBBALLI: They are free of school cabs, uniforms, heavy bags, lunch boxes… all the paraphernalia that is part of school life. Instead, Jeet and Jahnavi, twins aged 8, school at home, without the rush and stress of early morning classes, homework, and a regimental routine.
They are part of a growing trend of homeschoolers in the region, where at least four families – from Hubballi, Davanagere and Sirsi -- have discontinued the traditional schooling system for their young children.
The twins’ parents Vinal and Santosh Oswal, a businessman in Dharwad, want to give their children an education with the focus on life skills. “I was inspired by a 15-minute video ‘Life is easy. Why do we make it so hard?’ by Jon Jandai, recognized as the Gandhi of Thailand. Then I started reading books by John Holt, who advocates homeschooling. I feel today’s Indian education system is materialistic and not eco-friendly,” said Oswal.
The positives are many: There is no hefty fee to be paid to schools or worry about safety of children. Why rush to meet deadlines and put up with mechanical rote learning, ask the parents.
However, Jeet and Jahnavi say they get sufficient time for activities of their choice. Mother Vinal takes tuitions for other children at home, along with her children.
Adrika, 15, daughter of Suresh Babu and Geeta, is preparing for her Cambridge O level examination for the Cambridge IGCSE syllabus, which is equivalent to the class 10 exam. Suresh Babu, who was working as a software engineer in Pune and turned to farming in Dharwad, said Adrika was going to school till class 7.
“When we attended an unconference on homeschooling in Pune three years ago, our daughter herself expressed the wish to study at home. As my wife and I are well-educated, we teach her at our convenience. She is taking online tuitions on English from a Bengaluru-based teacher. If we face hurdles in home schooling, we take help from the internet,” he said.
Raghava, an organic farming expert in Davanagere, has gone a step ahead by adopting unschooling for his wards Vishistha, 9, and Varchas, 7. He said the current education system takes half a lifetime to teach children how to lead a happy life. “But home schooling or unschooling provides a stress-free education for children. In traditional schooling, we see there is no self-confidence among students who always live in apprehension and tension,” said Raghava.
Software engineer George Varghese and his architect-wife Susheela have settled down in Danandi village, 100km from Hubballi. Their daughters Amrutha, 8, Deepika, 7, and Mrudula, 4, have started home education. “My mom taught me Kannada, English, Malayalam and Tamil letters, and I learnt to speak all these languages. I have sufficient time for dance and music classes too,” she said.
Getting recognition
Many parents worry about how to get validation for home schooling. Apart from various international agencies, there is the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), set up by the human resource development ministry. S Chandrashekhar, regional director of the Bengaluru centre, said students can join college after pursuing a certificate from NIOS, an ‘Open School’ which caters to the needs of a heterogeneous group of learners up to pre-degree level. It was started as a project with in-built flexibilities by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in 1979. Anybody who are 14+ years can attend the secondary course exam, which is equivalent to class 10. Candidates who have passed class 10 can take the Senior Secondary Certification, equivalent to class 12, he explained.
Legal angle
There were concerns among homeschoolers about the RTE Act making homeschooling illegal. An affidavit filed by the Union government on July 18, 2012, in response to a writ petition (No 8870 of 2011) filed by Shreya Sahay and others in the Delhi High Court, came as welcome relief. The seven-page counter-affidavit, submitted on behalf of the Union government, clearly states there is nothing illegal about homeschooling and the RTE Act does not, in any way, make home schooling illegal.