Homeschooling catching up in UAE, helps parents

An increasing number of UAE parents are homeschooling their children as it is a more affordable option for them.

Khaleej Times spoke to four parents who are paying half of the tuition fees, or even 75 per cent less, of what a regular school would cost in the country.

These parents are choosing to homeschool their children not only because it helps them avoid the hefty tuition fees of the UAE schools, but also so they can focus on what they feel are more important subjects for their child's talents and future.

One parent, Ruby Brar, homeschools her seven-year-old Vansh Brar, in Grade 3, and pays only Dh300 for a homeschooling website subscription, which offers a British curriculum education. She is a stay-at-home mum, who teaches her son herself, by printing off study material online.

"Financially, things had started to heat up because there was a fee hike every year. From FS 1 to year 3 we have had a fee hike every year, which made it very clear to us that most schools here are nothing but a successful business model," Brar said. "Homeschooling (fees) has many options. Some are using free online programmes and some are using paid. We are using paid and it's very minimal compared to what we paid all these years.

"I had my older son in the best and most expensive British school in my community. When I first took the tour of the school, I wished I had studied there. It was an amazing facility with corridors filled with exorbitant artworks. Today, when I look back, I realise that no matter how fancy it is - it's a school. Kids are expected to be there at a certain time and do all things in a certain way and follow instructions. As long as you follow instructions, you are a good student and a good future factory worker. You don't need to do things your way as that may disrupt the flow of class."

Brar said ever since she started homeschooling her son, he has been able to place a greater focus on subjects they feel will help him more in the future, such as Math, French language, Science and English (and soon they will be starting with social studies).

Another parent, A. Alshaqra, used to pay Dh15,000 to Dh18,000 for each of her two sons. Now, she pays just Dh12,000 for both together - saving the family nearly Dh20,000 per year.

"School fees nowadays make no sense," Alshaqra said, mum to a 13-year-old and 10-year-old. "I chose an online curriculum that is considered costly but it's less than half of what I used to pay for school.

"Since my kids are in an online system they have teachers who correct their exams and review their projects, so we don't have a problem with that either.

Source: Khaleej Times