Homeschooling in China

7：40 a.m.： Wake up

9：00 a.m.： 3 classes （40 minutes each）

2：20 p.m.： 3 classes

7：30 p.m.： Homework and study

10：30 p.m.： Lights out

Three classes cover Records of the Historian and the other three are for English.

This is a typical daily schedule for a nine-year-old Chinese girl. Unlike most of her peers， however， this student gets lessons at home.

The majority of parents who choose to school their children at home do so because they are unhappy with the current educational system. “Educational models have not changed，” some lament. “Schools don’t pay attention to a student’s individual abilities and strengths. They operate like an assembly line.” Others sigh， “Focus on test scores coupled with unpractical curriculum creates the problem.”

The latest survey by the 21st Century Research Institute shows that in China， 18，000 students are homeschooled， and some 100，000 others receive education through other alternative means such as family schools or schools specializing in traditional Chinese culture. Such students are primarily found in big municipalities， such as Guangzhou， Shenzhen， Shanghai， and Beijing.

Learning with Parents

While many parents navigate obstacles such as expensive housing near desirable schools and admission to key middle schools and high schools affiliated with prestigious institutes of higher learning， others are opting to quit their job to work full-time educating their kids at home.

Ms. Xu， for instance， a resident of Guangzhou， Guangdong Province， joined in an alliance named Schooling at Home because she worried about her daughter’s education. From 9 to 11：30 a.m.， Monday through Friday， she takes her daughter to read in a park. Subjects include Chinese language， math， and English. However， Ms. Xu didn’t remove her daughter from school completely. “I talked to the school， which agreed to keep my daughter on its enrollment list so she can participate in exams to enter high school，” she explains.

Li Yiqian， however， who feels strongly about national culture education， removed his son from school completely. For his 4-year-old， Mr. Li rented an office in suburban Beijing to teach him “The Four Books” （The Great Learning， The Doctrine of the Mean， Confucian Analects， and The Words of Mencius） and “The Five Classics”（Book of Poetry， Book of History， Book of Changes， Book of Rites， and The Annals）. He also injects traditional Chinese cultural elements into his son’s entertainment. The 4-year-old often reads aloud with his peers， plays chess on an old-fashioned wooden table， and shapes pottery. For Mr. Li， education of national culture requires “nurturing children in such an environment.”

Chen Zhuo of Guangzhou majored in American and English literature in college. At less than three years old， her daughter has already traveled to many places in China and abroad， including Yunnan Province， Hong Kong， England， Indonesia， and Thailand. “Learning about the world with mom” is how Ms. Chen chose to educate her child. “All her friends sit in kindergarten while she stays with me and travels around the world，” smiles Chen. “I believe that the world is her classroom. Today she goes to an acrobatic school， tomorrow she will visit a puppet theater， and the day after tomorrow she will go to music school. She expects a new ‘school’ every day.”

As the concepts of childhood education change constantly， some parents even quit their city jobs to take their kids into the mountains – back to nature.

Staying Home？

Opinions on home schooling differ widely in China. Chu Zhaohui， researcher at the China Education Research Institute， asserts that it is normal for children to receive education at home as the development of education creates contrasting demands. “Private education doesn’t necessarily reject formal schooling，” he explains. “The point is to find the proper way to feed each child’s unique needs as they mature.”

Home schooling isn’t any easy fix， however.

First of all， private education risks breaking the law on the Chinese mainland. As China’s law on compulsory education defines， children of school age enjoy the right to receive equal compulsory education， so to remain in accordance with the law， private education should be approved by the local government at county level. According to officials from the Elementary Education Department of the Ministry of Education， acceptable home schooling requires certain provisions. For instance， the teacher should be certified and the learning environment should be favorable. The student’s school enrollment and qualification to attend higher educational institutions must be preserved. So far， Beijing’s officials have seen no qualifying cases.

Other concerns still hover around private education. How does it affect the child socially？

“School education， after all， dominates the country’s education，” remarks an elementary school teacher in Beijing.“Learning knowledge of various subjects in a collective manner is suitable for children’s growth.”

However， many parents believe that private education can target improving children’s social skills better than traditional schooling. Zhang Qiaofeng， a graduate of Peking University， quit his job with an annual income of 300，000 yuan to teach his son and two other kids at home. Taking into account China’s one-child policy， Zhang admits， “Family schooling is by no means perfect. But we can adjust our model when we pinpoint weaknesses.”

According to a survey of family schooling by the 21st Century Research Institute， when children finish high school， 35.75 percent of parents’ first choice is sending them abroad， while 34.08 percent choose to let their children participate in the national entrance examination for colleges and universities. Most home schooling parents are armed with high academic qualifications， good income， and overseas educational background， but avoiding formal school altogether couldn’t get more impractical.

For these parents， personal independence and life-long habits of reading and learning are more important for a child’s future.

Does home schooling work？ “It’s too early to say ’yes’ or ’no’，” remarks Yuan Fangyan， a researcher at the 21st Century Research Institute， who has maintained close contact with the parents. “We’ll have to wait and see. We should be more open to the coexistence of a variety of educational options.”