Homeschooling has become increasingly popular over the last two and half decades. It became legal in South Africa in 1996 and since then the numbers have steadily picked up in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria. One of the major reasons for its increasing popularity is the fact that no child gets left behind and that every lesson is conveyed in a one-on-one setting. For some, it is also a more cost-effective option, but in South Africa there is the situation of a lot of inequalities and education resources that are not necessarily accessible in rural areas.
Since the global Coronavirus pandemic, education has been forced to go digital around the world. But there is a difference between remote learning and homeschooling as such. Remote learning involves doing a curriculum and specific tasks that are provided to you while homeschooling gives the freedom to choose a specific curriculum and which subjects will be most applicable to you. This might be a bit challenging but is very beneficial in the long run. CambriLearn did a survey across the globe to get better insight into homeschooling and how the uptake of this method of education has changed in post-COVID world.
Some of the challenges that were highlighted included specific access to accurate and suitable learning materials, finding suitable extramural activities for children to socialise and engage with peers and of course, motivation. On the flip side, the studies have also indicated that families who participated in the survey noticed an increase in results. An overwhelming 89,6% gave a positive response that results increased, 68,2% said they could see a significant improvement and 21,4% could see a moderate improvement. The million-dollar question on everybody’s lips was how many people are sticking to homeschooling even after schools have returned to our new normal.
In conclusion, the pandemic itself didn’t have a massive impact on the initial decision to homeschool or not, but from the CambriLearn study it was clear that parents who were forced to homeschool decided to continue to do so. 66,7% of families that participated in the study intended to continue to homeschool and a tiny 8,9% are still on the fence.
Overall, flexibility and one-on-one engagement shine on the homeschooling front, but unfortunately, not all families have the luxury in South Africa of going this route to ensure that their children get the best possible opportunities for education.
It all boils down to what is feasible within the constraints of socio-economic problems that are encountered on a daily basis.
This opens up some exciting opportunities in the job market for teachers. Homeschoolers often require support from teachers and tutors. It would be wise to investigate the possibility of either supplementing your income by becoming a tutor or considering full-time teaching in the homeschooling market.
For assistance in making these career decisions contact us: https://goteach.co.za/product/career-coaching-and-support/
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