The homeschooling community in Thailand is about 90% foreign parents, with 10% comprising of Thai parents who, for one reason or another, wish to educate their children outside of mainstream education. There are many reasons why parents might wish to school their kids at home and we shall examine a few in this short article.
Affordability
Let’s face it, good quality education is never going to be cheap; international schools have the highest price tag, then there are private bi-lingual schools that are more affordable for the middle class. If, for example, a group of expat families decide to pool their resources and allocate space in one home for their children’s education. Of course, your learning establishment must meet certain government requirements; as long as your kids pass the national exams, you are good to go! Parents who are not working can divide the teaching, each choosing specific subjects, while they can hire tutors for some complex topics. All you really need is an empty space, a computer, a children’s homework table and an Internet connection and you are ready to homeschool.
Substandard education
No education system is perfect and Thailand is no different to any other country in terms of education standards; some parents prefer to teach their kids from their own curriculum. Others have had issues with school management regarding the teaching style and by joining together with other like-minded parents, they have the resources for homeschooling.
Children with special abilities
Mainstream education is not designed for talented children and parents recognises this and make alternative arrangements, such as homeschooling. There have been cases of young children with very high IQ going on the study science at a leading university at the age of 11; a parent can control the speed of learning to keep up with a super-sharp mind.
English language skills
If both Thai parents speak English, they might decide to homeschool using English as the language of instruction. After a few years, the kids would be fluent in both Thai and English, although this takes a level of commitment and dedication from the parents. Here is an interesting article on how background listening can help students.
Internet & Google
Learning from home is now possible thanks to the World Wide Web; Google can answer any question in less than a second! Children need to learn how to self-learn and an important skill is knowing how to search for content. Your kids might just know more about IT than you, in which case you can hire a freelance IT tutor. The most important thing is to instil a love of learning within your kids and this will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Click here to learn more about learning in Thailand from the Ministry of Education.
Homeschooling will be a double-edged sword, as you will also learn about teaching and your kids will have a balanced education.