The Kenyan constitution states that every child has the right to education. Nonetheless, it has not confined knowledge acquisition to institutional schooling.

Owing to this, some parents have opted to have their kids homeschooled because of the benefits attached to this form of schooling.

Curious to understand what homeschooling is, we got to interact with a parent /home educator and an individual who runs a homeschooling program. This is what they said on this form of educating pupils/students.

What is homeschooling?

Homeschooling is when a parent educates their child or brings a tutor at home to school their kids in a home environment rather than have them get institutional schooling (Public and Private schools)

How does homeschooling work?

In terms of curriculum delivery, Mrs. Lucy Alex says this depends on the curriculum the kid is taking. “Several parents teach using different curricula; 8-4-4, Accelerated Christian Education program (ACE), and British curriculum and now Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC),” she said

Mode of evaluation?

According to Mr. Fenwick Maloba, from Nakuru homeschooling, kids get a monthly evaluation test from home prepared by their tutors and an end-of-term exam prepared by external exams.

He adds that Kids taking the 8-4-4 system get to register for the Kenya national exam as private students whereas those taking the British curriculum get to do their exams from Nairobi at the British Council.

What are the benefits of homeschooling?

Parents who opt to homeschool consider this a better option because kids get specialized attention during the classes.

Mrs. Lucy sees this as a consistent way to mold her child’s character and give them specialized care as they learn.

“Considering the high teacher-student ratio in most schools, some kids are left behind academic-wise when no one is available to check on their progress. I consider homeschooling more suitable if you are looking for an optimal way to tap your kid’s potential both academically and in talent development.” She said.

Do the students participate in core curricular activities?

Mrs Lucy says the children are enrolled in other programs including chess, ballet, music and other activities to complement their studies. This gives them an all round experience.

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Explainer: How Does Homeschooling Work?

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