After all, homeschooling is not a bad idea, makes good sense
Education Consultant, IQ Modern Learning Center and General Manager, Homeschool Global ME Homeschooling is on the rise globally for reasons like affordability, personalised learning and flexibility in terms of schedule and location. It is also catching on the UAE due to similar reasons.
Private schools seem to be the only option for expatriates in the region. School tuition fees range from Dh5,000 up to Dh100,000 depending on the quality. That is without the additional expenses on uniforms, transportation, extra-curricular activities and lunch allowance. The rising cost of living, families on single income, and with companies doing away with schooling allowances, some households struggle to keep their children in a “good school”. Therefore, more families are opting for affordable alternatives such as home education, where the quality of education would not need to be sacrificed due to affordability.
Families who homeschool, are able to do so on a budget of Dh2,000 up to Dh30,000 depending on the programme of choice. This has the potential to account for a savings of between Dh3,000 and Dh70,000 per child, per year.
Apart from affordability, the common factor amongst most parents choosing the homeschooling route is their dissatisfaction with the current quality of education versus the fees paid. One of the benefits of the home education is personalised learning whereby students are offered an individualised approach specific to their preexisting knowledge, learning needs, styles and competencies. In place of large, anonymous class lectures is a devoted time and attention helping students achieve fluency and mastery through oneon-one tutoring tailored to the student’s learning requirements. In such an environment, students could take ownership of their learning and achieve mastery at their own pace.
Furthermore, many families in the UAE are in transit, in between regions and are uncertain of their length of stay in the Middle East. Homeschooling also offers flexibility in terms of the start and end dates throughout the year.
If a family arrives the UAE in between a school year, their chances of getting placements in a good school is limited or close to none. Additionally, children can learn no matter where the location. Whether students are children of pilots, businessmen or those based in two or three countries around the world, learning and education may not be disrupted. In homeschooling, the world is your classroom.
We encourage first time home educators to connect with locally based service providers, like Homeschool Global, who are able to provide academic support, guidance and training to equip parents for their homeschool journey. These providers offer accreditation which gives parents a “safety net” knowing that their children’s work will be recognised in the event they need to return to traditional school. They also provide innovative services which aim substitute the lack of traditional school infrastructure, with group extracurricular activities, sports and learn groups in which parents and children are able to connect and socialize regularly.
Home education continues to make a lot of sense, to a lot of people with today’s globalisation and information age.