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By Rajkamal Rao
Go back to Education
Section 7g. Home schooling
As a rule, NRI parents oppose home schooling because of obvious disadvantages (kids don't develop social skills, won't learn teamwork, won't be competitive, etc).
But many Indian parents are seriously considering homeschooling their children. Local Indian parents are turned off by exorbitant school fees, poor school infrastructure, long commutes, rote-teaching methods and under-prepared teachers. An important moment for homeschoolers came when a 14-year old boy, Sahal Kaushik, topped the IIT entrance exams in Delhi, in 2010. Sahal was homeschooled by his mother Ruchi Kaushik, who quit her job as a doctor and homeschooled her son.
The advent of computer-based training - and the natural affinity that NRI children have for computers and the internet - makes homeschooling a viable option for NRI parents. Further, parents are free to experiment - within limits - what their children get to learn, at what pace and when. They can mix up a combination of US-based content along with India-based content. Parents can split time between India and the West without being worried about attendance requirements. Money saved in school fees can be otherwise spent on books, computer materials, educational DVDs and other aids - retaining assets at home. NRI children do not have to face insults or rough treatment in class by an Indian teacher or be taught by teachers who may be less qualified than parents would like.
A major problem is that the Government of India has no official policy towards homeschooling. Compare this to the US where the Supreme Court ruled in 1925 that parents could not be required to send their children to public school, solidifying the legal status of private, parochial - and hence - home schools. Time magazine reports that according to the most recent federal estimates, the number of homeschooled children in the U.S. has nearly doubled from 850,000 in 1999 to 1.5 million in 2007. In several states, parents can file for tax credits for tutors and enroll their kids in mix and match programs - i.e. have their children attend public school part time to take band or chemistry or any other subject that is tough to teach at home.
India does not offer such luxuries. Both CBSE and CISCE do not permit homeschooled students to take their board exams.
The only avenue left is the IGCSE - homeschooled Indian students can appear for the IGCSE board exams in Class X and Class XII as private candidates. Exams are conducted through the British Council in Kolkota. But the process is cumbersome and exam fees are expensive. [Parents have to submit an application form (usually in Jan for the May-June exams) and pay the required fee of about INR 3,000 per subject. The British Council charges an additional fee (this was INR 3,000 per subject in 2010). Add to these expenses the cost of books and the trip to Kolkota
Go back to Education
Section 7g. Home schooling
As a rule, NRI parents oppose home schooling because of obvious disadvantages (kids don't develop social skills, won't learn teamwork, won't be competitive, etc).
But many Indian parents are seriously considering homeschooling their children. Local Indian parents are turned off by exorbitant school fees, poor school infrastructure, long commutes, rote-teaching methods and under-prepared teachers. An important moment for homeschoolers came when a 14-year old boy, Sahal Kaushik, topped the IIT entrance exams in Delhi, in 2010. Sahal was homeschooled by his mother Ruchi Kaushik, who quit her job as a doctor and homeschooled her son.
The advent of computer-based training - and the natural affinity that NRI children have for computers and the internet - makes homeschooling a viable option for NRI parents. Further, parents are free to experiment - within limits - what their children get to learn, at what pace and when. They can mix up a combination of US-based content along with India-based content. Parents can split time between India and the West without being worried about attendance requirements. Money saved in school fees can be otherwise spent on books, computer materials, educational DVDs and other aids - retaining assets at home. NRI children do not have to face insults or rough treatment in class by an Indian teacher or be taught by teachers who may be less qualified than parents would like.
A major problem is that the Government of India has no official policy towards homeschooling. Compare this to the US where the Supreme Court ruled in 1925 that parents could not be required to send their children to public school, solidifying the legal status of private, parochial - and hence - home schools. Time magazine reports that according to the most recent federal estimates, the number of homeschooled children in the U.S. has nearly doubled from 850,000 in 1999 to 1.5 million in 2007. In several states, parents can file for tax credits for tutors and enroll their kids in mix and match programs - i.e. have their children attend public school part time to take band or chemistry or any other subject that is tough to teach at home.
India does not offer such luxuries. Both CBSE and CISCE do not permit homeschooled students to take their board exams.
The only avenue left is the IGCSE - homeschooled Indian students can appear for the IGCSE board exams in Class X and Class XII as private candidates. Exams are conducted through the British Council in Kolkota. But the process is cumbersome and exam fees are expensive. [Parents have to submit an application form (usually in Jan for the May-June exams) and pay the required fee of about INR 3,000 per subject. The British Council charges an additional fee (this was INR 3,000 per subject in 2010). Add to these expenses the cost of books and the trip to Kolkota
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