In some countries, there has been an increase in the number of parents who e

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问题     In some countries, there has been an increase in the number of parents who educate their children themselves at home instead of sending them to school. Do you think the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages? (2016-02-13)

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答案     Until the twentieth century it was usual for wealthy people to educate their children at home, either themselves or by using a tutor. Queen Elizabeth II was educated at home. Her children were the first royals to go to school. In the nineteenth century when the country needed an educated workforce, schools had to be provided because parents worked and were often not well educated. The culmination of this was the 1944 Education Act which made secondary education available to all to the age of 15, and made the provision that parents had to educate their children by sending them to school or ’otherwise’.
    It therefore became the norm for most children to go to school, but some parents chose to educate them ’otherwise’, supported by a group called ’Education Otherwise’.
    Going to school has many advantages. Children are socialised: they learn to give and take, to share, to get along with others. There are opportunities for playing team games, playing in musical groups and other group activities. Many schools have facilities like swimming pools and other sports facilities that most people do not have at home. Teachers are trained and know how to teach and encourage their charges, assisted by an army of clerical staff, support staff, cleaners, cooks, dinner ladies and so on.     For older children, the teachers know how to prepare them for public examinations and university entrance. Most teachers at this stage are specialists in their subject. Most children like school and work to the best of their ability, enjoy meeting friends and benefitting from the help of sympathetic, supportive adults.
    Sometimes, for some children, the system does not work and children are very unhappy. One solution is to educate them at home. It might be that the parents want to educate their children at home for religious or other reasons. This means no travelling is involved, which can take several hours a day. Children can learn exactly at their own pace and focus on things that really interest them with excellent courses available on the Internet. An exceptionally clever individual can work at their own level, perhaps preparing for public examinations several years earlier than their peers. Home educated children have the opportunity to take part in sports such as horse riding that are not usually available in school. Children with serious illness too can be better off at home.
    However, educating children at home demands a huge commitment from the parents. If the parent does not work, or works from home, part time, this can be a solution. On the other hand, no time is needed for transporting children to school and there is no need for school uniforms, so children do not have to get it all ready each day.
    For some children the advantages definitely outweigh the disadvantages, and there are children whose parents might choose education ’otherwise’. In the case of the vast majority school is the means of education, ensuring a good standard and relieving working parents of the need to teach their children themselves.

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