Homeschooling catches up as parents look for tailored learning

Community group runs a mentorship programme for parents

- Nasreen Abdulla

For Sharjah resident Tara, it was her daughter’s first report card that prompted her to switch to homeschooling. Today, she homeschools all three of her children, who are 11, 8 and 3 years old.

“When my daughter attended kindergarten in school, I got a report card which was the complete opposite of what her real personality was,” she recalled. “In that instant, I knew that she was not getting the attention that she requires at school.”

A teacher herself, Tara went through six months of rigorous training before quitting her job to focus on her children. “I know how the system works,” she said. “With 20 to 30 children in their classes, no teacher has the time to focus on each child.” She said she designed the curriculum and tailored her approach to suit her children. “My son was a kinesthetic learner,” she said. “Basically, he was someone who needed to be actively engaged in his learning. When learning the Math tables, he used the floor and wall. These were only possible because he was being homeschooled.”

Homeschooling has been increasing in popularity all over the world, according to Khalfan Belhoul the CEO of Dubai Future Foundation.