I am writing in connection with a news item titled “Home-schooling a band aid solution” by Leila Salaverria (Inquirer, 6/5/12).
My husband and I are a home-schooling couple and we are independently educating our 10-year-old boy at home. Maybe it is a matter of semantics, but I would like to point out that “home-schooling” and “home study” are two different concepts and one should not be confused with the other. It appears that even Representatives Antonio Tinio and Raymond Palatino may not be aware of the difference.
What the public high schools in Quezon City are implementing is the home study program. This is when the students do school work at home and only report to assigned teachers periodically. And this is being done to decongest the public schools.
Home-schooling or home education, on the other hand, is the independent program wherein we, the parents, are the educators. This is about mentorship and apprenticeship.
The news item referred to here left an impression that home-schooling is merely a palliative and not an effective alternative to providing quality education to children. We decided to home-school our child because we feel that it is the best way to mold our kid into a lifetime learner. Bo Sanchez, Catholic preacher and a home-schooling advocate, says it all: “Home-schooling is the best educational system in this planet. It beats the most expensive, the most exclusive private schools money can afford.”
—OFELIA ABAY,
obrabay@gmail.com