‘Homeschooling an option, but it’s not for all’

MANILA, Philippines — With the expected suspension of face-to-face classes due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Department of Education (DepEd) has identified homeschooling as a possible option for students to continue with their education.

But according to Donna Pangilinan-Simpao, president of the Homeschoolers Association of the Philippines, this particular mode of learning could work for a certain demographic but is not applicable for all.

“In terms of scale, you can’t say that you can replicate it for 33 million school-age children because homeschooling, in the way that we have lived and promoted it, is not for all,” she said in an interview with The Chiefs on Cignal TV’s One News on Thursday night.

“Homeschooling is a solution for a certain demographic. I do understand that a lot will not be able to do so, but there are those who can,” she added.

Simpao said there are certain factors needed to be able to adopt the setup.

“They have to have a growth mindset,” she said, referring to parents. “Homeschooling to most is like tutorial… It’s a wrong concept or perception of homeschooling.”

Homeschooling is a flexible learning option recognized by DepEd.

It is different from home-based learning that the agency intends to adopt for the upcoming school year, where students would still be guided by teachers even if they study at home.

Based on the policy guidelines on the K-12 program released last year, homeschooling provides learners with access to formal education while staying in an out-of-school environment.

Authorized parents, guardians or tutors take the place of teachers as learning facilitators and are given flexibility in learning delivery, scheduling, assessment and curation of learning resources.

“The program aims to cater to learners who may require homeschooling because of their unique circumstances, such as illness, frequent travel, special education needs and other similar contexts,” read the guidelines.

“Moreover, the program allows parents and guardians to maximize involvement in their children’s education as a matter of parenting philosophy,” it added.

Parents or guardians who opt to enroll their children in a homeschool program should do so through a public school or through a private school that had been given a permit to offer a homeschool program.

Students may also be enrolled through homeschool providers, which are learning centers or institutions that provide homeschooling.

In its algorithm for the learning delivery modalities in the upcoming school year, DepEd identified homeschooling as an option for households where parents or guardians can facilitate the learning of their children.

It is also an option for students who cannot learn through the printed self-learning kits that the agency intends to provide to those who have no access to internet and other delivery modes of education.

In addition to homeschooling and home-based learning, the DepEd also intends to adopt other distance learning modes of education next school year in lieu of the traditional face-to-face classes. These include delivery of educational content online, digitally or through radio and television.