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Measures to Home school in rural context- Extensive Measures:


The homeschooling itself clearly clarifies that it is the educational and learning experience outside the school setting. The most significant factor that we have to keep in mind is about its connections to the rural context in terms of implementation. As we have come across enormous challenges of rural context in the previous article, it is in fact also important that we work on alternatives and simplifications in implementation.

 In many rural areas, there is deprivation of some basic facilities, as discussed in an earlier article. The crisis of competencies and the socio-economic conditions are hindering for successful implementation of homeschooling. However, despite the fact of challenges in a rural context, there must be reasonable and imaginable approaches in order to implement homeschooling even in the rural context. 

Thus, this short write up would try to bring the most possible extensive measures based on the availability of rural resources.

EXTENSIVE MEASURES

The extensive measures meant to be the most actionable approaches in a macro level. Moreover, the macro level is most determined and imagined to have initiated indirectly despite, action taken directly by the parents at home. 

1.     Community resolution: The community participation in the rural context is so admirable as they are always responsive, active and transparent in terms of any planning, decision making. So, the external inputs in terms of awareness in regards to the importance of homeschooling would highly be able to convince the community. By external inputs, I would target some volunteer workers who are expert in the focused area. Such, informative and passionate community orientation would let them accept the proposal. 


2.     Voluntary works: Without voluntary workers, the implementation of homeschooling in rural context always remain mere an imaginary and illusion. So, voluntary workers can focus on the 'After school programs'. This program can be categorized into three parts such as Village Volunteer group, Community learning centre and Peer learning centre for life skills with different goals in a similar approach. 

a.     Village volunteer group: A volunteer group of few learned women can be created among the villagers. These homeschooling village parents can contact this volunteer group for help related to homeschooling. Help can be availed even through an SMS or a phone call. Particularly it is important when we are going through a tough lockdown situation in many parts of the world, this initiative would be of great help. Personally, I have visited ‘Durgam category’ remote villages in Uttarakhand state of India (Durgam villages are those which are far from main transport access, because of forests and hills). This villages for sure get great help.

b.     Community learning centre: It is a learning community of a group of people who share common academic goals and attitudes and meet semi-regularly to collaborate on classwork. It is one of the most important 'Afterschool-program' that allows children to learn varieties of subject matters with more confidence as it provides a homely environment. It is often observed that the children in the most underprivileged area engage in different activities such as hunting and other labour works after school. The learning centre would be able to take its advantage in order to educate the children with a volunteer guide from the village. Few community learning centres are already active in many villages in India, supported by NGOs.

c.      Peer learning centre for life skills: When we talk about children in the rural context, we must also remember about those school dropped out children. These children always remain engaged in different labour works, some might be working for daily bread and some in other's house for money. Such, activities isolate them from the opportunity of education and handicap them being unable to realize for bright future in their lives. 

However, peer learning centre must focus on educating, engage them with literacy and life skills. Gradually, children will be able to recognize their specific talents and will be able to expertise in reality. This will be a way of continuous learning too.

Please write your thoughts in the comment section.

The article is published as part of a series of articles on homeschooling. By visiting our homeschooling page, you can read all the connected articles.


Reflection is contributed by:
Satyasing Mushahary in consultation with Maaz Mohammed AQ
Both are alumni of Azim Premji University (2014-16)

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