Beyond the Classroom: Why More Indian Families Are Choosing to Homeschool

In 1835, the T.B. Macaulay laid down several ideas for formal schooling in what is known as the Macaulay’s Minute on Education. He envisioned creating a class of Indians “English in tastes, in opinions, in morals and in intellect” to act as intermediaries between British rulers and the Indian  masses. Macaulay rejected traditional Indian means of learning. He argues that the British catering to traditional learning would hinder progress, and advocated shutting down Sanskrit and Arabic colleges. These ideas have survived well into modern times. “Regular” or “formal” schools in Indian cities are usually English-medium ones, and native languages have been sidelined, reducing their institutional support and prestige. This is the new "traditional" schooling path that most Indians take. 

Since 1835, formal schooling has become the norm, largely due to post-independence standardization and the promise of upward mobility. Over time, formal schooling became the default path for education in India. Research shows that education strongly correlates with a better chance of good employment and higher income, hence serving as a primary engine for socioeconomic advancement. In India, education is pivotal in poverty alleviation and altering intergenerational trajectories.

However, dominance in English-medium, standardized schools hasn’t always been inclusive—differentiated schooling based on class, caste, language and region continues reinforcing inequality.

Today, one-size-for-all education isn’t what everybody is opting for. For the year 2023-24, more than 72,000 children were homeschooled (or unschooled, if you wish). Homeschooling is perfectly legal, and a growing number of people are opting for this option as opposed to 

Why more people are opting for unschooling

So why are tens of thousands of Indian families turning away from the classroom? The answers are as varied as the children themselves

“Regular school usually limits your imagination and creativity, making you focus on only studies.”

This is what Miraaya, a 13 year old teen from Indore has to say on the subject of formal schooling. She has been unschooling for the past 5 years, and has found more time to pursue her interests and hobbies outside of traditional learning means. “You have back-to-back study sessions after school and sometimes you have to stay up till very late only to study,” she says, recalling the time she spent at school.

“Both my parents had a general dislike for the conventional education system which prioritized exam results and rote memorization of facts over genuine interest and passion for the subjects we were studying.”

Adhitya (or Adi, as he prefers) had been unschooled for 5 years, between 8th grade to 12th. He attended online school, and his days consisted of text-based lessons, quizzes, and occasional Zoom calls with teachers. “I was staying with my father in Hong Kong at the time, and he wanted to put me in a school which had a non-local curriculum.” he says. “There were international schools in Hong Kong, but those were often expensive, far away from where we stayed, and–-at least in my father’s eyes — lacked good company.” Online schooling was the most suitable option, for a variety of reasons. Firstly, it allowed him to study the international syllabus at a cheaper cost and with no worry of commute. It also allowed him to travel with his father for business trips, or visit his mother in India whilst still continuing his studies.

A Day in the Life of  ̶B̶a̶r̶b̶i̶e̶  An Unschooler

Most young people begin their day early, rushing to get ready for school. They board the yellow bus, and sit in school for hours, their schedule dictated by the tolling of the bell. Contrast this with this:

“A typical school day starts with me waking up anywhere between 06:30 and 07:00. I’d eat breakfast, do necessary household errands, and get on the computer between 08:00 and 09:00. From there I’d complete the lessons, quizzes, and assignments for the day.  We have 6 subjects as part of our curriculum, and about 4 quizzes and 2 written assignments per day, alongside lessons. I’d work on a 30 minute work – 5 minute rest cycle. However, I had the bad habit of getting distracted on the Internet or getting carried away completing an assignment. I’d take a break around 11:00 to 13:00 for lunch, and would resume work till 16:00 to 17:00, depending on the work load and my productivity. I would then head out to cycle or play football with my friends till 19:30 and then come home, shower, eat dinner, and do any semester projects or just play some computer games. By around 22:30, I'd go to bed.”

Adi spent most of his days like this. A routine, a schedule, but with more freedom. As he says, he did at times get distracted on the Internet, but he “became firm in my belief that if I applied enough hard work and discipline to my education, I stood to gain far more than I imagined.” 

“Every single day is different,”

Miraaya does not work on a schedule. “Homeschooling itself is one of the best things ever. I get to be myself and don't need to change myself to fit in with people with the regular convectional mindset. I have time for my interests and hobbies, and for things and places I wish to explore. Freedom is a big factor. I love traveling, and I don't ever have to stop myself from doing so because of school and homework. I have no pressure to study or to be a particular something when I grow up.”

The One Question Every Unschooler Gets—

What about exams?

As a homeschooler myself, a major part of the decision was recognising that I was able to complete chapters that took a month in school in a week. This led my parents to believe I could write my board exams a year earlier than everyone else in my batch, and the way to do that was unschooling. I also got to choose what subjects I wanted to do—and I did, based on what I want to do in the future (astrophysics).

“I do plan on giving boards, but not because I want to prove something to someone. I want to do so for the experience.”

Miraaya does not feel obligated to write her boards, but still plans on doing so, because she wishes to do so.

“I did write my fair share of competitive exams, namely the SAT and the APs.”

Adi already has completed his schooling, and he does not regret writing these exams. “It is one of the metrics that universities use to gauge students, and that’s perfectly fine.” he says on the subject. “If a homeschooler wishes to find their passion in higher education, then taking the boards isn’t just acceptable, it should be encouraged. After all, the joy of homeschooling comes in the freedom to choose!”

It’s not popular, by any sense of the word, but unschooling is becoming more common. Old societal stigma is slowly, but surely, getting replaced by the more practical reasons for homeschooling. I’m not saying homeschooling is the better option for everyone, but a substantial portion of students in classrooms learn far better from ways other than that by which they are taught. One-size for all education came into the picture long ago, but it isn’t here to stay. 

“It seems to me at least, parents are rethinking their approach to education, and how they choose to approach these questions will define the future of homeschooling.”

Adi lays down several questions—“Will people consider leaving the job security formal education in a well reputed school may offer in exchange for a simpler and enjoyable learning environment? Will parents be open to considering more unconventional paths for their children, at the cost of the uncertainty it may entail? Will we as people look at education the same way we have for the past decades?” Only time will give us the answer to these questions, but as stated earlier, views are changing.

Miraaya takes a different view on things.

“I am quite certain it will. I myself stumbled upon many homeschoolers in my city, which is not that introduced to homeschooling. I've noticed since the past 5 years that the number of homeschoolers in India has increased. More so, I hear every other young adult saying that they wish to homeschool their future kids. The school goers say "I wish I was homeschooled". So considering all these points, there is a lot of scope for it to become the more common learning system.”

She believes that over the course of years, homeschooling will not only become more common, but take the upper hand over formal education.

Who can say? Just last century, people who announced themselves homeschooled were treated as a class lower than everyone else, akin to being illiterate. Now, homeschoolers across India are gaining more recognition, and they are accepted into higher education institutes as well. Perhaps the future will show the benefits of personalized education over one where everyone is treated the same.

Perhaps the future will be more accommodating to everyone.

Who can tell?

Written by Ridhi Anish

Ridhi is a teenager who loves books that break her into little tiny pieces with a passion. She spends most of her year travelling and/or looking up at the sky and contemplating it (the sky). Writing several drafts of would-be novels and then abandoning them mid-way is her version of a pastime.