Is Homeschooling An Option?

With the global spread of the “Covid-19” epidemic and the increase in the number of injured in Lebanon, parents struggle to educate their children between the hammer of school education and the anvil of the epidemic imposed by distance education and imposes exorbitant educational fees on parents whose services are not equal to the amount of their payments, especially in private schools that include the majority of students. And since school is not their job – after bringing the children in the first week – except to record and send lessons, parents must teach their children themselves and accompany them in all the details of the study; From explaining lessons and answering your questions, etc., of course with paying fees that are not really necessary. So why don’t we do without school and parents are content to educate their children at home within specific curricula and according to an official state-approved assessment, as is the case in many countries?

According to experiences and studies, educated parents or those who assist teachers, especially in the first years of education – primary and intermediate – can teach their children by themselves in a much more effective and active way than the currently approved methods, at a low cost.
Despite the fact that school can provide a supportive educational environment, the world is witnessing a growing trend towards homeschooling even before the Corona pandemic. The number of students who have been homeschooled over the past two decades is estimated to be between 1.7 million and 2.3 million in the United States alone, and the annual growth of students who are homeschooled is estimated to be between 7% and 15% .
This acceptance of the homeschooling idea reflected a survey conducted by the Gallup Institute of Statistics in response to the question, “Should parents have the legal right to homeschool their children?” As more than half of the respondents (53%) answered “yes” compared to 39%. They said no. “
This educational pattern prevailed in centuries past and was practiced through the family or the church, prior to the 16th century, gradually becoming the responsibility of the government after literacy became a fundamental issue. Since then, the concept of learning has been associated with the school space as a geographical place of application of learning, and currently it is the undisputed place in which the education of teachers takes place, but many countries in the world have moved away from the idea that the school is the only recognized educational institution in favor of other educational styles. Such patterns have become an internationally guaranteed right, and many families and non-governmental institutions have fought legal confrontations with their governments, in the United States, Great Britain and Germany, benefiting from the same humanitarian texts, agreements and treaties that guarantee this right. , as established in Article 26, Part 3, of the Universal Declaration. The 1948 Human Rights Council declared that “parents have the first right to choose the type of education they should receive for their children.” Article 2 of the 1950 European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms establishes that “in the exercise of the functions it performs in relation to education and teaching, the State respects the right of parents to guarantee this education and teaching in accordance with their religious and philosophical beliefs. “
The International Agreement on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights establishes in article 13 that “the States parties to this pact undertake to respect the freedom of parents … to choose schools for their children, other than those established by public authorities “, But in a way that” conforms to the minimum educational standards that may exist. ” Developed or approved by the state. This confirms the text of the International Agreement on Civil and Political Rights in article 18, paragraph 4, that “the States parties to this pact undertake to respect the freedom of parents and legal guardians, when necessary, while guaranteeing the religious and moral education of their children in accordance with their convictions. “
This experience has not been limited to some countries, but has spread to the world due to its success since 1999 in several countries such as Austria, Finland, Georgia, State of Oklahoma, Ireland, Italy, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Spain and other countries that have come to constitutionally recognize and allow the family’s right to education at home, both explicitly. An implicit mother, as the right of the family to decide how to educate their children.
In the Arab world, there are no official studies that address the effectiveness of homeschooling and how it can be used. Regarding their legislation, most of the Arab countries, if we do not say most of them, have not yet legalized home schooling, rather they are still ignoring it, and although they legalized it as in the United Arab Emirates, they have established precise conditions for this.
In Lebanon, there is no legislative text on homeschooling or homeschooling, and whoever practices it cannot obtain a recognized official certificate, and there are no exceptions to this type of education for people with special needs and others. Note that some children who have been homeschooled in the last period ranked first in official exams.
This reality requires the organization of such emerging educational patterns worldwide, which may be the solution for an optimal education, especially in current circumstances.

* Researcher in the educational and administrative fields

Subscribe to «News» on YouTube here