The possibilities for parents
Home-schooling is nothing new ("Home-schooling a way to beat rising fees", Gulf News, July 27). Before public schools became the norm around the 19th century, home-schooling was one of the main forms of education. One of the most-asked questions about home-schooling is about socialisation, which - in my view - occurs as long as two or more people interact with one another. Generally, this interaction involves utilising and transferring norms, values, and customs so that people mature both individually and collectively. The real question about socialisation is: How does a parent wish for the child to be socialised? What will best help their children do well in life? In traditional schools, youngsters are put through the grades with others of their own age. They tend to be looked down upon by older children, and ignored by those who are younger. In many home-schooled families, children of all ages interact with one another. And children oftentimes learn how to respect and interact well with their elders. Thus, home-schooling could offer a better venue for socialisation. Gulf News's article raises the question of cost. As there are many creative ways of home-schooling, the costs vary from family to family. If one is not careful, the cost could be fairly significant. Then there is time commitment. If both parents work, usually one would have to cut back or quit employment to meet a child's educational needs. With so many questions and issues, I would recommend finding a seminar where parents could get a lot of questions answered.
From Mr P. Devine
Iraq
Ideal solution
I agree with the concept of home-schooling, although I am not sure how children are able to study, give their exams and acquire certificates without going to school ("Home-schooling a way to beat rising fees", Gulf News, July 27). I think the ideal solution would be for pupils to study in schools, and if their standard of education is not up to the mark, tutors should be able to help.
From Mr Bala Mukesh
UAE
Studying at home
As a teacher in a Dubai-based school, I felt that my children's education was not up to standard. Some private schools are lowering their education standards in order to please parents. My child was in the third grade and was given vocabulary words that I believe kindergarten pupils would be able to spell. As my children felt that they were not really learning anything, I decided to home-school them. I found many websites that offer help in teaching children at home. I know that schools offer a better social life, but I try my best to take them out of the house as much as possible.
From Ms Elaine Talsam
Dubai
Equal opportunity
Gulf News brings to the fore a very serious issue about the intellectual, academic and scientific future of the UAE ("Highly qualified Emiratis find themselves underemployed", Gulf News, July 28). By placing more emphasis on teaching, that too confined to a handful of areas and not focusing enough on research, is the basic problem of higher education in the UAE and the other Gulf countries. The existing universities must be encouraged to take up both major and minor research projects on various aspects of society or economy with financial support from the authorities. For preventing the frustration of the unemployed PhD degree holders, existing universities must appoint them as research associates with both teaching and research assignments, as a short-term strategy.
From Dr Raju M. Mathew
Al Ain