Learning during this time of disruption and COVID-19 has become a challenging feat. Without having the access to school, students are stuck at home. The virus has been ravaging the entire world and it is unsafe for students to gather in large numbers in any institution. These times have, quite naturally, brought a change in the education system that was followed prior to the virus. Students, who were liable to be in the classrooms within a given time frame, just have to sit up and sit at their desks to attend classes. It can easily be referred to as ‘homeschooling’.
Homeschooling has always been a western idea where virtual learning was given more preference than in-class learning. However, with how the situation has been unfolding in the current times, homeschooling seems like a viable option for many parents in India. Students are forced to receive education from within the four walls of their homes. Homeschooling is quite different from what students generally learn at school, it is not curriculum-based and mostly focuses on hands-on learning. It is philosophy-based and bases their study on the fact that students are natural learners who learn out of curiosity, passion, and interest.
Cities like Bangalore, Pune, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, and Hyderabad have parents who have considered homeschooling as a viable alternative to practical learning. A survey showed that around 92 percent of parents were unwilling to send their wards off to school in this pandemic situation; 56 percent would monitor for a month before sending them to school; 21 percent would avoid sending them to school for at least 6 months. Even though it might not seem easy to switch up the education system and turn it to homeschooling, it is still a viable option. Many had switched to this mode of learning way before it was actually thought of as an option!
