Formal versus home schooling

A HOME SCHOOL is a school in which parents teach their children an academic curriculum at home instead of sending them out to a public or private school. Currently, it is estimated that over one million families school their children at home. Most of these families include a breadwinner and a stay-at-home parent who does most of the teaching, although there are single parent families and dual career families who home school.In Rwanda however, according to Janvier Gasana, the Deputy Director General in Charge of Quality Education, home schooling is neither legal nor illegal because it does not exist. “We have not had any cases or heard of a family preferring to educate their children at home instead of with other children in private or public schools,” he says.Should Rwanda embrace the idea of home school?A Kenyan lady living in Rugando, Kimihurura who preferred to speak to us anonymously says that she home schools her children because she is a qualified teacher in the Cambridge IGCSE school system and that is the system under which she prefers her children to study.“Cambridge studies are expensive. I asked about the cost at Riviera High School, Nu-Vision and GreenHill schools. The studies relevant are present but extremely expensive. I am a mere teacher, I cannot afford the money they ask for, and so I resorted to teaching them myself” she states.She goes on to point out a couple of advantages that come with home schooling. “Children who are home schooled can avoid many of the problems schools have become known for. For one, the environment is less threatening. Children can learn without fearing other students, aggressive or nasty teachers, and be under the constant supervision of parents. In addition, home schooling allows parents to dictate the academic course of their children.”However, one should put in mind that although home schooling may be a tantalizing choice for all the reasons stated above, one should keep in mind that the child’s social skills are buried as they have no little or no time to socialize or meet new people.