By Anthony M. Wanjohi:
Home Schooling, also referred to as Home Education entails education of children in a home setup as opposed to schooling in a traditional public or private school. In several countries, Home Schooling, is considered to be an alternative to attending public or private schools and is a legal option for parents. In Kenya, home schooling is recognized under the Alternative Education Policy, which has provisions for non-formal education. In African traditional society, the concept of educating children at home was common. However, with colonization and subsequent introduction of Western lifestyle and philosophy, the concept was lost.
In Kenya, the concept of home schooling is slowly gaining momentum. This could be attributed to a number of reasons including a failing education system (8-4-4), wanting parental economic background, parental future educational plans, distance to and from school, past educational experiences of the child, child’s interests and temperament. Such reasons are likely to prompt parents to choose different educational methods, which represent a variety of educational philosophies and paradigms.
Home schooling may take various approaches: Firstly, each family may decide on the curriculum they will use and the pace at which they will educate their children. Secondly, other families may choose to follow a formal school curriculum with guidance from a tutor(s). Thirdly, an individual student may opt to study on his/her own (home-based) and book a summative examination once ready. Whichever approach a family or an individual learner may choose, the ultimate goal of home schooling should be to provide a conducive teaching and learning experience that suits the learner’s and/or family’s objective and circumstance.
Today, there are a number of home schooling platforms in Kenya. These platforms are meant to support parents and individual learners as they go through the home schooling programme. Schools Net Kenya provides some support in home schooling through provision of digital teaching and learning resources and tutorial services.
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