The traditional school system, as we know it today, emerged in the mid-19th century in response to the demands of the Industrial Revolution. This era introduced production line systems with standardized inputs and uniform outputs, leaving little room for differentiation or creativity.
The educational system mirrored this vision, cramming a set amount of information into children’s minds, only to retrieve it at the end of the academic year in a rigidly structured answer sheet, allowing no room for disagreement or critical thinking.
In recent decades, amid the digital revolution, it has become evident that free thinking, analytical skills, and the ability to explore alternatives are the essential competencies for any nation aspiring to transition into the future.
The traditional education system, however, has become a burden whose flaws are widely acknowledged, yet no one dares to replace it.
Ironically, the COVID-19 pandemic brought a silver lining. Schools were closed by sovereign decisions under the invisible assault of a virus imperceptible to the naked eye. This forced society to turn to homeschooling as an unavoidable alternative.
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Homeschooling is an educational system where children are taught at home by parents or private tutors instead of attending traditional schools. Many consider it a flexible option that allows families to design curricula tailored to a child’s needs, interests, and individual abilities.
There are inspiring examples of success stories, such as Simone Biles, one of the most decorated gymnasts in history, who began homeschooling at the age of 13 to better focus on her training.
According to Top Education Degrees, homeschooling allowed her to schedule her time flexibly, enabling her to achieve extraordinary athletic milestones, including numerous Olympic medals and world championships. Biles’ experience demonstrates how homeschooling can be a powerful tool to nurture unique talents.
Jacob Maslow, writing for New Rationalist, highlights the story of Venus and Serena Williams, who dominated women’s tennis. They received homeschooling in their early years, thanks to their father, Richard Williams, who designed a specialized program that complemented their intensive training. This approach allowed the sisters to focus on developing their athletic skills without compromising their education, leading to their phenomenal success in tennis.
These stories illustrate how homeschooling can provide a flexible and supportive environment, helping individuals achieve their dreams and hone their talents in sports or any other field. It proves to be an effective tool for reaching the pinnacle of success.
Samaa Mohamed, in her article on the Sahlah Academy website, discusses the differences between traditional education and homeschooling, aiding parents in choosing the most suitable method for their children. Each system has its advantages and challenges, and the decision must align with family goals and the child’s needs.
Samaa advises parents to evaluate both options carefully, considering the child’s learning style, family dynamics, and available resources to make a well-informed decision that supports the child’s educational growth. She notes, “Both homeschooling and public schooling have their advantages and disadvantages, guiding parents to choose the most suitable type of education for their children. When choosing between them, you select the system that matches your educational goals, your child’s abilities, and their needs.”
Traditional schooling offers structured curricula, opportunities for social interaction with peers, and participation in extracurricular activities. However, it may not address individual learning needs and could expose children to challenges like bullying or negative influences.
According to a statement published by Shafaq from Liam Kerr, the Scottish Conservative Party education spokesperson, “In recent years, violence has increased, standards have declined, and educational job prospects are at increasing risk. These factors will undoubtedly lead some parents to decide that their child is better off at home rather than in school.”
Data from Scottish councils indicated a rise in the number of students receiving homeschooling, exceeding 2,200 students, representing a 40% increase between 2022 and 2023.
While homeschooling offers a flexible schedule and a tailored educational experience that aligns with the child’s abilities and interests, providing a safe learning environment with modern teaching methods, it can also be demanding for parents. It limits children’s social interaction opportunities and requires substantial resources to provide comprehensive education.
In her article Homeschooling – An Educational Alternative, Duangrat Wangkledkeaw argues that both homeschooling and traditional schooling can be effective, depending on family circumstances and the child’s needs, with opportunities for success available in both systems.
Wangkledkeaw notes that homeschooling allows parents to closely observe their children’s educational preferences and interests, enabling them to design activities that better suit their needs and capabilities. However, she acknowledges the challenges parents may face, such as balancing work with educational duties and the potential lack of social interaction provided by traditional schools.
To address these concerns, Wangkledkeaw recommends that parents create opportunities for their children to interact with peers through neighborhood play or participation in social or sports activities, but in a structured and well-organized manner.
Social interaction remains a major challenge in homeschooling, as it may limit children’s opportunities to interact with peers, potentially affecting their social skills. To compensate for this, children should be engaged in community or sports activities.
Additionally, parents should establish a daily routine for their children similar to a traditional school day, including fixed times for waking up, meals, studying, and other activities, while also keeping track of assignments provided by teachers.
Thus, homeschooling may offer flexibility and personalized learning but comes with significant challenges that require parents to evaluate these options carefully and with a balanced perspective, recognizing that homeschooling is not a one-size-fits-all solution.
Aya Mamdouh says in an article titled It’s Not the Magic Solution You Think… The Dark Sides of Homeschooling homeschooling is not without challenges. It demands significant time and effort from parents to learn curricula, organize schedules, and create a suitable educational environment. These responsibilities can lead to emotional strain for both parents and children.
With homeschooling, parents bear great responsibility, and any negligence could violate a child’s right to meaningful education. For this reason, some countries have implemented age-specific regulations for homeschooling to protect children from potential abuse by parents who might use the system to evade their responsibilities.
To prevent children from dropping out of education, Qatari legislation firmly stipulates in Article (1) of Law No. (25) of 2001 regarding compulsory education that “education is compulsory and free for all children from the beginning of primary school until the end of preparatory school or until the age of eighteen, whichever comes first, and the ministry provides the necessary requirements for this.”
Article (2) makes it obligatory for a child’s guardian to ensure their enrollment in education, leaving no room for delay or negligence, stating: “The person responsible for a child who reaches six years of age at the start of any academic year, or by the end of December of the same year, must enroll them in compulsory education and remain committed throughout the stipulated duration.”
Furthermore, Article (3) specifies penalties for those who neglect this duty: “The person responsible for a child who fails to enroll them in compulsory education without a valid excuse shall be fined no less than 5,000 Qatari Riyals and no more than 10,000 Qatari Riyals. In cases of repeated violations, the penalty shall be doubled within its minimum and maximum limits.”
Although Qatari law emphasizes that students should receive education in a school environment, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education has introduced an “Tasara’ System” for high-achieving students interested in individualized study. This system allows students to advance to higher grades based on their performance.
The Tasara’ system enables students who pass the first-term exams for the academic year—irrespective of nationality—in public schools or private schools that adhere to national standards to take second-term exams in the same year and advance to a higher grade, provided they meet specific criteria.
Typically, students aiming to skip two grades in a single year rely on homeschooling during the summer to prepare for second-term exams. However, after passing the exams, they rejoin the traditional schooling system in higher grades, potentially raising issues related to age gaps among classmates.
Ali Nadar provided statistics on the state of homeschooling in Arab countries, indicating that it is still in its early stages and requires further studies and regulations to support and develop it as an alternative educational option.
Initial data and surveys presented by Nadar involved 144 participants from various Arab countries, with 37.5% from North Africa and 36.8% from the Arabian Peninsula.
The results showed that 89% of participating families practicing homeschooling live in stable marriages, and 91% reside within the Arab world. This indicates that homeschooling is often practiced informally, given its lack of legal recognition in most Arab nations.
The motivations for adopting this system include the desire to provide customized education tailored to a child’s needs, avoiding the shortcomings of traditional education systems, and ensuring a safe learning environment.
However, challenges remain, including the lack of official recognition for homeschooling, which impacts children’s ability to obtain accredited certificates. Parents also reported insufficient educational resources tailored to this approach.
Dr. Mahmoud Salama highlights the situation in one Arab country, Egypt, in his article Homeschooling in Egypt: Between Reality and Opportunities. He notes that the perception of homeschooling in Egypt is often associated with students who have failed multiple times or those who left formal education to join the workforce, which has contributed to a negative societal view of homeschooling.
حيث أنه من المفترض أن يتجاوز المعنى الضيق للحصول على شهادة إتمام الدراسة في مرحلة تعليمية معينة إلى نظام متكامل يحقق أهداف الأسرة في تعليم أبنائها، والذي قد يمثل حلاً لعدد من مشكلات النظام التعليمي المصري إذا ما تم وضع الضوابط الصحيحة وإنفاذها بشكل قانوني، كما أن هذا النظام قد يخفف العبء على المدارس الحكومية ويعطي خياراً أكثر مرونة لمن يلجؤون إليه.
Homeschooling in Egypt differs from its Western counterpart, as it often involves students who do not regularly attend school but are registered to take the same exams as formal students. This is particularly common for students in the third preparatory or secondary grades, who study privately with tutors to achieve high scores that qualify them for their future academic aspirations.
We cannot overlook the extended school closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which compelled everyone globally to resort to remote learning to ensure children’s education. This concept was largely unfamiliar to most people before the pandemic.
Dr. Ahmed Jassim Al-Saie, in his article Education During the Pandemic published in Al-Sharq newspaper, highlights the unprecedented challenges the pandemic posed to educational systems. Schools and universities were shut down, necessitating a rapid shift to online education using digital tools.
Educational institutions made extraordinary efforts to facilitate this transition by organizing intensive training sessions and workshops for teachers and students, in collaboration with health ministries, to provide precautionary guidelines and ensure everyone’s safety. Education could not simply stop, and everyone had to adapt to these circumstances to maintain the continuity of the learning process.
As Al-Saie aptly states, “All modern global disasters are limited by time and place, except for the small-sized yet massively impactful COVID-19 pandemic, which neither confined itself to one place nor time.” He further notes that the practical measures and experiences to sustain the educational system during this period were successful.
From this perspective, the lessons learned from this experience should have been harnessed to develop a hybrid educational system combining homeschooling and traditional schooling. Such a system could be formalized to align with modern demands and be resilient to future challenges. Unfortunately, however, the opportunity to capitalize on these experiences was largely ignored.
Despite this, we continue to see families and communities determined to educate their children under the harshest circumstances, such as in countries affected by wars and conflicts. Their academic and intellectual achievements remain astonishing, as seen in Palestine, Sudan, Yemen, and Syria.
In an article by Mohamed Zakaria titled Education Under Rubble: Stories of Success from Homeschooling in Darfur, describes how war has endangered thousands of students and teachers, with the state halting teachers’ salaries, leading many professionals to migrate abroad.
To prevent children from falling behind in education, some Sudanese volunteers transformed their homes into homeschooling centers, opening their doors to displaced children to continue their education and overcome the destruction of their schools and the separation from their teachers caused by the war.
Zakaria shares the story of Fatima, a ten-year-old girl embodying resilience in the face of challenges. Every day, she carries her bag to attend a small lesson in a house in the city center, where she learns reading, writing, and mathematics with the help of a volunteer teacher.
Despite the war that forced her to leave her school in Al-Fashir, she found refuge in a homeschooling institute, where she honed her academic skills and memorized verses from the Quran. She expresses her hope and determination to defy the odds and achieve her dreams.
The most dangerous war has been raging for decades, far from conflict zones and without spilling a single drop of blood—a war in which everyone competes for jobs that merely meet the basics of living. Young people, full of hope for the future, find themselves armed only with skills drilled into them behind school walls for twelve years—skills that neither nourish nor sustain them—only to encounter a job market with demands they’ve never heard of before.
If you don’t want your child to join the ranks of the unemployed, steer them away from rote learning. Instead, equip them early with critical thinking skills, objective research abilities, and the discovery and cultivation of their talents, so they can pursue a career they love.
