Home Education in Nepal: Parental Experiences and Perspectives

Abstract

Homeschooling is the term commonly used in America, home education is primarily used in Europe and many common wealth countries. Home education should not be confused with distance learning, which often refers to a scenario in which the student attends an online school and follows with its guidelines rather than getting an independent and unrestricted education from their parents or by themselves. In the context of Nepal, it introduced the "Contingency Action Plan of School Education" in 2020, which clearly incorporated the concept of homeschooling to encourage active family and parent participation in children's learning. Recognizing the need for appropriate resources, the Home School Management Facilitation Material, 2021, was subsequently developed and implemented to support the effective execution of this initiative.  The study aims to explore how home Education is used in Nepal’s basic education, what factors affect its adoption, and what parents think about its practices. In this study, I have employed a general qualitative research design and it allows for a rich, in-depth understanding of individual perspectives and the contextual factors that shape them. I have purposefully selected six parents of basic-level students receiving home education. This selection is intentional, aimed at ensuring a diverse representation of participants in terms of socioeconomic backgrounds, cultural affiliations, and motivations for engaging in home education. The results of the study indicated that while home Education offers significant benefits in terms of safety, quality, and cultural preservation, it also presents challenges related to resources, socialization, and long-term educational outcomes. The findings suggest a need for supportive policies that recognize and integrate home education within the broader educational framework in Nepal, particularly in remote regions like Dailekh. By addressing the challenges and leveraging the strengths of both home and formal education, a more inclusive and effective education system can be developed. These insights of parents offer a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of home education, highlighting both its strengths and the areas where additional support is needed to make it a viable and effective alternative to formal schooling.