Do homeschooling and unschooling have a place in a highly competitive world?

Alternative education in India—including homeschooling and unschooling—comes with its wins, trials, and transformative opportunities

In India, where traditional education systems continue to prevail, conformity often takes precedence over individual growth. However there is a quiet change underway, as more and more families are willing to embrace alternative educational approaches to provide their children with unique learning experiences.  We explore the growth of co-learning spaces, online platforms, and collaborative networks that help families decide to venture on this unconventional path.

The Power of Freedom

Homeschooling and unschooling offer a liberating experience for most children, enabling them to learn at their own pace and explore subjects that resonate with their passions. Simran Daswani, a mother from Mumbai, shares, "Homeschooling has allowed my daughter to develop a deep love for learning. She is no longer confined to [follow] rigid curricula but has the freedom to explore her interests fully." 

The Role of Parents

At the heart of this transformation lies the role of parents. Homeschooling and unschooling demand a confident attitude and a radical approach, as it is the parents who take on the responsibility of shaping their child's education. Driven by their unwavering belief in their child's potential, these parents become facilitators, mentors, and lifelong learners themselves. They create nurturing environments that foster curiosity, critical thinking, and a love for learning.

Joyslin Pinto leads by example as someone who herself has had a traditional Indian education, “I studied in a traditional convent school in Mumbai and was happy there. I went on to complete my higher studies from a conventional institute like Nirmala Niketan and eventually became a professor at Rizvi College before quitting everything to focus on homeschooling our daughter Adele Roberts.” The actual shift, though, happened at the onset of the pandemic in 2020 for many parents, including Pinto, who says, “My pre-schooler daughter was suddenly expected to learn basic concepts through an online programme which was proving to be difficult at her stage, so my involvement was non-negotiable all of a sudden. Fortunately, we knew a set of parents who have homeschooled their kids with great success and it is with the support of a Catholic homeschooling community of parents that we decided to take the leap of faith.” Like all radical changes in life, Pinto says, “It’s the first step that is the most difficult. As a parent, you worry if this is the right move for your child, till the time you start to see the benefits including the various activities that your child is suddenly exploring, which would have never happened in a conventional school set-up.”

Worry and self-doubt are normal emotions experienced by nearly all parents. The initial resistance is, at times, heightened especially if the child is seemingly thriving in a school, like in the case of Adele Roberts who was a “school baby” according to Pinto. “In our case we had to convince our daughter that our vision for her life and education is much bigger than the scope provided by traditional schools.” Building trust and getting your child to share and build on this vision is the real journey. As a facilitator of this form of education, it is important for parents to do their own research. In Pinto’s case, she spent a whole year researching the different education boards including ICE, CBSE and IB, before narrowing down on the curriculum she would like to integrate to create her own broad “eclectic curriculum” best suited to Adele’s needs. “An important reason for us to do this was to include free and structured play which is an important source of learning and an essential part of her growth, and now she has the time for that.”

Building Confidence and Embracing Change

Embracing homeschooling or unschooling requires parents to possess a certain level of confidence and a willingness to challenge societal norms, often calling for them to unlearn and reevaluate their own biases about education. Neha Mitra, a parent and advocate for unschooling, asserts, "We need to let go of the fear of failure and embrace uncertainty. It's about trusting our children to chart their own path and being there to guide them when they need support." It is established that while the primary educator or facilitator has been the woman (mother), it does take a village to raise a happy and free child. Pinto says, “While I am the primary educator for Adele, using my background as an educator, my mother-in-law teaches her the guitar and keyboard; my husband focuses on teaching her roller-skating which she excels at; and my sister assists with brain games and concentrated play.” The real confidence, however, arrives for most parents when they observe their children’s advanced skills when compared to their peers from a traditional educational background.

Unschooling: Preparing for the Future

From coding and robotics to creative arts and entrepreneurship, homeschooling and unschooling create an environment conducive to nurturing a well-rounded skill set for children, allowing them the freedom to explore their talents and interests. Vasuda Arora, a proponent of the unschooling ideology, is a mental health professional, energy healer and mother of 15-year-old Nikhil Mathew-Arora who has been a student of the ideology since he was nine years old. Arora’’s journey has been intense. She explored various schooling systems for her son but found him unchallenged by the system. “It was not a pleasant experience with the pressure and workload from a very young age. I also began finding that my natural parenting approach, which is liberal, began getting tested—I was pushing Nikhil more than I would have liked to. I wanted him to grow up with respect, love and unbiased opinions.” Simple acts of “eating in school was an act of coercion; it all started getting very militant and regimented. That’s when I decided that just because my husband and I have experienced the same, our son should grow up differently.” Cooperation amongst key parenting figures is important, Arora says. “At first there was a lot of resistance and questions about him living in the ‘real world,’ and in retrospect my planning wasn’t the best but things worked out eventually as I researched deeper and equipped myself with more information from other parents who were unschooling their kids with success.”

Unlike homeschooling, unschooling is led by the student /child—it is a child-led style of education. “My faith in the path chosen got stronger as I observed my son blossom. He was reading books more advanced than his peers, he was happier and, more importantly, in control of his own likes and dislikes—very much like an adult.” Arora  firmly believed  that it was a priority for her to raise an independent and kind human being, someone who takes on responsibility and learning by choice. “In unschooling the role of the parent is to simply facilitate the infrastructure of interests that your child is learning and choosing. Open communication is key—it’s a belief that children know and will excel in their areas of interest if you allow them to do so.”

If you give children space and time, they respond with gusto. “Nikhil showcased an interest in films and watches one film a day at home. It is only because of this that he now sits in film-making classes with adults double his age with confidence.” Arora’s message for parents who are curious about the concept is that “the most important thing is for parents to unschool themselves and unlearn their preconceived notions of schooling. The core idea here is to trust that your child knows what is best for themselves. Nikhil has taught himself poster-designing and many other skills.” She adds, “I had to therapise myself for the first three years to combat the voices of others; to deal with the worry that I might be destroying my child’s life. As I continued to educate and equip myself, the worry got lessened and now I feel happy that I have raised a beautiful human being who is kind, confident and self-aware.”

A Happier, Bias-Free World?

It is evident that homeschooling and unschooling offer more than just an alternative to traditional education. They pave the way for a happier world, free from biases, judgments, and negativity, allowing children to think critically, appreciate diversity, and create positive change. 

As more parents recognise the potential of these alternative educational approaches, we can envision a future where education thrives on the principles of freedom, creativity, and holistic development. By embracing the power of choice and fostering a nurturing environment, parents can nurture a brighter future for their children and, ultimately, for society as a whole too.

Holistic, Radical Schooling

In July 2011, Chani R. Chawda, curriculum and content developer, co-founded Abhibhavak Vidyalaya in Raipur, an earnest effort by parents and teachers to provide holistic value education for consciousness development of the child based on co-existential philosophy. The school began with a team of eight teachers and just 12 students. The families themselves pooled in resources to provide for facilities such as the building, transport (a bus and two smaller vehicles) swings, toys, furniture and so on. The school also has the direct and indirect support of several other families from Raipur and other parts of India and hence is free from government sanction or aid. It reflects the societal participation of intelligent, honest and responsible groups of families. The teachers do not take any remuneration. As it is the responsibility of the parents to provide facilities for children, a certain amount was defined for the running of the school, but there is no tuition fee.

The school obtained affiliation with the Chhattisgarh State Education Department. “The responsibility to make the study successful lies with teachers, parents, education-content and education-procedure because these four are complementary. When teachers, parents and the education system are in congruence, only then it becomes possible to develop successful teaching methodologies by which the path of gratitude and co-existence gets paved. We feel that this integrated approach can help children understand their role without any contradiction. If education is logical, verifiable, holistic and universal it can satisfy every child,” says Chawda. The school also ensures the integration of digital technology and its advancements, including using laptops and other devices. Chawda says, “We are digitally advanced but not part of the rat race. We are exploring value-based education. Whether it is learning different languages, mathematics, science or social science, the goal of every human being is to live with resolution, prosperity, fearlessness and co-existence.”

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