In some parts of the world, homeschooling is becoming increasingly popular. This educational route, albeit being ostensibly beneficial on the surface, is not suitable for the vast majority of families.
It is true that parents who educate their children at home, instead of sending them to school, could tailor their teaching pace and approaches to best suit the needs and preferences of their young ones, thereby enhancing their academic performance. However, very few parents have the pedagogical knowledge and expertise needed to do this. By contrast, the structured nature of formal schooling, which has been carefully designed and is regularly assessed by experts, is a safer option.
Another point often put forth in favor of homeschooling is that home-educated children would be significantly less likely to experience bullying, having romantic relationships at too early an age or being under the influence of negative peers, all of which can potentially cause emotional, mental, behavioral and ultimately academic problems. Nevertheless, this supposed benefit is outweighed by the possibility of them failing to develop the skills needed to navigate complex social and workplace situations later on.
Homeschooling advocates also say that parents who educate their children by themselves can save money because they would not have to pay expensive tuition fees. However, this thinking is flawed because these parents would need to pay a large amount of money for laboratory equipment for subjects such as Chemistry and Physics. Moreover, it is usually the case that parents are not well-versed in all school subjects, meaning that there are further costs incurred for hiring specialist tutors.
In conclusion, homeschooling is only suitable for precious few parents who are pedagogically trained, extremely knowledgeable in all subject areas and possibly very wealthy. For most children, the traditional educational route of attending school is more beneficial and well-rounded.