Many people are talking about home schooling, an education system run at home. Printed and electronic press have made this term of family-based alternative education becomes more popular.
People have been focusing on home schooling in the past two years, since many parents feel that, in many cases, learning atmosphere in schools does not prioritize students’ interests. Many children become stressful and finally they are losing their creativity.
With such a condition, teachers start to think bout how to make schools more agreeable and at the same time, make students smarter. Then, various alternative schools emerged. Natural school for instance, which, bring back students to learn from the nature. Students no longer have to study inside the classrooms where everything is severe and closed, but in the nature.
There is also another kind of alternative schools which allow students to study anything depending on their interests. There is no school here like in formal schools. Teachers’ role is guiding and directing students in the field they have chosen according to their own interests.
There are still many kinds of alternative schools using different methods, in which students are treated as subject of the curriculum, and not the object. Or in other words schools and curriculum are designed to serve students, not on the contrary, students prepared to serve schools and curriculum!
Among those alternatives mentioned above, there is a home schooling or schooling at home. Etymologically, home schooling is school run at home; however, basically it is an alternative school treating students as subjects using at-home education approach.
Such an approach make students feels comfortable. They can learn according to their wish and they own style; anytime, anywhere, as if they were at home.
In this model, students do not always have to study at home, but they can study anywhere and anytime as long as they feel happy and comfortable like at home. The school hours are also very flexible, starting when they wake up until they go to bed.
This concept has been developed in many developed countries. In the United States, for instance, home schooling curriculums have been developed to allow the system has a clear concept and vision. This year, there are around 1.8 million American children learning using this method and it is predicted to increase next year up to 2.5 million.
How about in Indonesia?
Our country, in fact has been familiar with home schooling concept far before the introduction of western education system. In Islamic boarding schools, for instance, the kyai, buya, and tuan guru educate their own children.
In the past, warriors, noblemen and artists also did this. They educated their children in their own schools or homes.
Important figures such as KH Agus Salim, Ki Hajar Dewantara, or Buya HAMKA also develop methods using home schooling system. The objective was not to pass the exam and to get a diploma, but it was to love and to develop knowledge.
Currently, this home schooling system can be developed to support equivalency education programs, especially for students having problems like, street children, child labors, children of remote tribal groups, as well as students with special talents such as athletes or artists who have a very tight schedule.
Law on National Education System
How about the government? Principally there are no problems. Because the article 27 paragraph (1) of the Law no. 20/2003 on National Education System (Sisdiknas), stipulated: “Informal education activities are carried out by a family and entourage in the form of independent learning process.” The article (2) stipulates: “The result of the education as mentioned in the paragraph (1) is recognized as equal with formal and non formal education after students pass the examination according to the national education standards.”
Therefore, home schooling is protected by the law.
Home schooling could be classified in three groups, namely singular, plural and community. Single home schooling is carried out by a family independently without joining other families. Plural home schooling is run by several families. While the community home schooling is carried out together using plural model with a more organized curriculum like in non-formal education.
Therefore, home schooling could be registered at the local education agency as a non-formal education community. Participants can take the Model A (elementary school level), Model B (junior high school level) and Model C (Senior high school level) national equivalency examination.
There are various challenges facing home schooling management, namely: (1) difficulties in getting support or inquiries; (2) lacking of place to socialize and parents have to be skilled enough to facilitate the learning process; and (3) evaluation and equivalency.
However, with the introduction of Home schooling and alternative Education Association (Asah-Pena) to coordinate various home schooling activities and alternative education in Indonesia, including providing training and information on the management, all those hurdles could be hopefully overcame.
Moreover, the strength of home schooling is to give more independency and creativity for children, thus there is a bigger chance to achieve individual competency optimally, children are protected from social diseases such as drugs, consumerism, abnormal relationship and brawl. It also allows children to be ready to face the reality in a wider scope of relationship.
This also strengthen the beliefs that home schooling model could be an alternative of education in the future, and it also speed up the realization of learning society which become one of the characteristic of civil society..
SETO MULYADI Head of Hose Schooling and Alternative Education Association
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