Hello,

Good morning my research topic for the day to present is Acceptability of

Homeschooling in Maharashtra.

By definition Home Schooling means the education of a child which is imparted at home
by a parent or a private tutor. It was practiced in the olden days by the name of Gurukul
later taken over by proper syllabus studies and now again it has been trending since the
beginning of 20th century so it is a reversal concept, championed by progressive
educational reformers hoping to free children’s inner creativity and conservative leaders
concerned about the environment of public schools. There are now around two million
children being homeschooled, and in the early twentieth century homeschooling has
become increasingly diverse, both in terms of race and class and in terms of parental
motivations. The reason I chose this topic - I believe that in changing times, our
education system needs to evolve too. Traditional way of education is common to the
masses but there are some people who require a slightly different schedule other than
the daily 6-7 hour of schooling.

In my personal opinion, I feel homeschooling shall be introduced so as….

1. So as to encourage and empower young athletes and artists, who spend considerable
time in practice and tournaments and because of this, are unable to pursue formal
schooling.
2. So as helping students to be more flexible in handling there academics and schedule
3. So as students can study in a way that suits their individual learning needs.
4. So as parents can provide religious and ethical instruction in a way that meets the
family’s outlook and belief system.
5. So as students can develop special talents through after-school activities that gives
them exposure to other students of their own age who share their interests.

According to research parents choose homeschooling for their children for various
reasons. Some parents have concerns about the social environment or academic quality
of local public schools. Some want to ensure that their children are educated in
accordance with their religious beliefs. Some believe their children will learn better
through child-direct learning outside of a classroom setting. Some have children who
were bullied in school or have health problems or demanding practice schedules. A
growing number of families enjoy the flexibility homeschooling offers, and many
children may find that homeschooling is a good fit for their natural learning styles or
personalities. If there is one thing that can be said about parental motivations for
homeschooling, it is that they are anything but monolithic.

Result to my recent survey:

The most common reason parents gave for choosing home schooling was to provide
moral values and religious beliefs (25%). The other leading reasons were to spend more
time with their child and because the child required special need (18% each). This was
followed by students who were athletes and couldn't follow the normal school timings
due to their coaching (15%). A group of parents also said that they chose homeschooling
as the child had physical or mental problems (11%) Very few parents did so because of
financial problems or other reasons (5%).

Most of the parents were against the opinion that homeschooling raised a crafty and
self-reliant child.

According to the survey it was found that homeschooling leads to difficulty in addressing
the public and social acceptance. Some people also say that it leads to low self-esteem
and lacking to have a positive self-image.

Outcomes of a homeschooled kid-

37% individuals were in the opinion that the kid lacked self-confidence. A probable
reason for this especially in India might be because the traditional schooling method has
been more prevalent which helps imbibe social interaction skills which are not available
for home schooled kids. 30% thought that the child was raised by having practical belief
in life. 21% people believed that the child was more focused in life probably due to
sense of independence and a disciplined life. 9% of the kids could expose talents, mainly
sports as their coaching timings were initially not matching with the normal school
hours. 3% said that it made the child more gregarious.

Qualities a child may imbibe by home schooling

About half the people were in the opinion that the child is less stressed. A quarter of
people thought that this method might make a child more independent and systematic.
About 14% said that it made the child clumsy and blunt. 8% said that it made a kid smart
and bold and only 5% said that it made a child disciplined and hard working.

About 70% individuals believe that homeschoolers can be a youth helping out nation to
develop.

Also 43% people agreed that homeschools can reduce the number of suicides done by
children due to study pressure.

Recommendations

Home school campaigns

Campaigns can be organized to promote the idea of home schooling. The major
advantage of home schooling according to the people was less stressed child which is a
very important point as stress often leads to under confidence and in serious cases, it
may lead to suicide. As a mechanism to safeguard the mental health of children this
method may help if it becomes popular in the country.

Increase in government effort

Better perspectives for the kids may be introduced in the field of home schooling. The
government can take steps to promote it in the interior parts of the country and
educate the people about its benefits. The kids who are homeschooled in this way can
get an opportunity to excel in sports or other non-curricular activities even from the
rural areas.

Parental counseling

Parents whose children require special attention or cannot adjust with the standard
school hours must be made aware of this technique. It is a modern way of learning
which can be used for any child but is better if used for children who cannot adapt to
the class environment. Therefore the parents can invest in home schooling which can be
planned according to a child individually according to the schedule that fits him best.
Parents often think that a child misses out on academics when he is enrolled in activities
such as sports or any other form of art which require greater practice on a higher level.
For example - a child is representing the country on the National level or the
international level. He may end up missing lot of classes due to training and travelling.
Thus, this method proves to be very appropriate and beneficial.

Part time homeschooling

A parent may teach his child some subjects at home and may choose to send him to
school for the other subjects. It is not possible for one adult to teach a child all the
academic subjects and the additional activities like sports or other forms of art.
Therefore, the parent has an option of enrolling their ward for part-time
homeschooling. This way, the child gets to have different teachers and does not get
bored with the teaching of one teacher only. The parent does not have to worry about
the child missing out on the other subjects which the parent is unable to teach. Hence,
all round development of the child happens and the child may excel in not only studies
but also extra-curricular activities.

Thank you.