Time spent in school may become part-time, learning will not be
Schooling and learning are not limited to the classroom, students learn a significant amount outside of any formal learning activity. They learn from reading at home, they learn from activities and clubs that they undertake at the weekend and they learn constantly from their parents, relatives and wider social circle. In that sense, schooling can never be part-time.
The new Rahhal initiative aims for the wider learning to be recognised and valued. Many of our students already study their mother tongue language on a Saturday morning, take violin lessons in the evenings and increasing of them learn from an online course during the holidays. All these activities already contribute to how well educated a young person becomes. The Rahhal initiative allows parents to have more control over the balance between learning inside the school and outside. So while the time spent in school may become part-time, learning will not.
In essence, Rahhal has many similarities with the distance learning that adults all over the world are engaged in. It is common for professionals to build their own programme of learning through online materials, webinars, faceto-face meetings, etc. Rahhal provides students with the flexibility to find a way of learning and a mix of content that works for them. Within the IB Diploma course, there is already the facility for students to undertake online courses
The introduction of Rahhal will require schools to think of new ways of working and new ways of thinking about collaboration with parents and other schools.
and self-study modules for essential elements of their diploma.
The Rahhal initiative is certainly not for everyone. Educational institutions and professionals create carefully crafted curricula, that provide students with a basis of knowledge to set them up for success in later life. There is also a high degree of choice built into the most high-quality curricula, that allows students to tailor their learning to their interests as they get older. However, there will always be students whose needs stand outside of the unavoidable constraints of fulltime schooling. Elite student-athletes will need significant time to dedicate to their chosen sport, students of determination may need extra support from outside agencies and children whose parents travel widely may need to rely on far more flexible programmes. For these students, Rahhal will provide a pathway to success.
The introduction of Rahhal will require schools to think of new ways of working and new ways of thinking about collaboration with parents and other schools. In many parts of the world, schools will work in consortium with other schools in order to provide a greater breadth of choice, especially in the sixth form. One way forward would be for schools to work together to allow students to pick up different elements of their education at different schools.