MAKE SOME ROOM FOR HOMESCHOOLING

Written by Intan Kusumawardhani

My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me; and I felt I had
something to live for, someone I must not disappoint. Thomas Alva Edison
The above quotation was said by Thomas Alva Edison after he was expelled from his
previous school just because his mind often wandered during the class. His mother ensured him
that it was not the end of the world that he could not get the formal education. His mother
believed that Edison was special. He was an extraordinary person even he got terrible hearing
problem not long after the expelling moment. Thus, she home-schooled Edison until he
succeeded in inventing many new mass communication devices.

The story above is one of many inspiring stories that encourage people to not stop
studying. There are many chances to study even we cannot gather with friends in formal schools.
As what Thomas Alva Edisons mother did, Indonesian government has already created and
legalized homeschooling since 2003. In Indonesia, homeschooling belongs to informal
education. Yet, the existence of homeschooling in Indonesia is assumed as rubbish; there is, but
no one wants to accept the qualifications. Most of formal schools in Indonesia reject the applied
certificate from homeschooling. It makes the homeschoolers difficult to get higher education in
formal schools. Indeed, the homeschoolers are outstanding people. Therefore, government and
formal schools should support the existence of homeschooling.
The rejection of homeschooling certificate happens because of the wrong mindset of
Indonesian people nowadays about home-school systems. Some people ruin the real definition of
homeschooling and forget the basic reason of why homeschooling was created. Definition of
homeschooling, based on Longman Dictionary and Contemporary English, is the activity of
teaching children at home instead of sending them to school. From that definition, some people
assume that teaching children at home is just because the children are lazy to go to school.
However, it is not like what most people think. Homeschooling is a form of alternative education

that been held at home because the students are unable to study at school. The disabilities that
make students cannot attend the formal class are ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder), IQ more than 130, and other psychological problems.
What comes up on peoples minds when they hear the word homeschooling is that it is
always related to artist. It is simply because there are some artists that take advantages from
homeschooling. Below is the quotation from Detik.com.
Look at Ahmad Dhanis children. They do homeschooling because of they are artists and have
no time to go to school. One of them failed on national examination. Then he did homeschooling.
They finally pass the exam without studying and attending the classroom. -- (detik.com).
What we are discussing here is not what they are trying to prove. This mindset should be
changed because generally the idea of forming homeschooling is not for being absent at class,
but still having lessons though it is held at home. Since it is held at home, parents are responsible
for deciding the educational system. Parents and children choose the curricula and it should be in
line with what formal schools implement. If the children have already mastered the subject,
parents can move forward to another subject. So, homeschooling is not a bypass to pass the
examination, but it is another way to get knowledge for specific people. So, why still the formal
schools reject the qualifications of homeschooling?
Opponents of this idea maintain that homeschooling belongs to informal education, and
informal education is a form of alternative education. So, whoever joins the homeschooling are
they who have low level of education, low on moral, and cannot afford the tuition of formal
schools. To a certain extent, they are right. Informal education is an implementation of long life
education. However, whatever the condition of the students, the learning activities should go on.
This informal education also brings some benefit towards the students behavior. It is
strengthened by Saleh Marsuki (2008: 136), that almost all of the systems are unorganized and
systematized. However, it does not mean that it becomes unimportant. Homeschooling builds the
students characteristics and behavior.
Moreover, it helps many children who cannot get proper education because of the
financial problems. Formal schools cannot help those people to have study fully unpaid. On the

other hand, in homeschooling, there is a form of free education for those needy people. There are
some home-schools which have the free service education. As long as the slogan of education is
Education is Life Long. Life Long Education is in Utility All of Life, like what Prof. Drs.
Soelaiman Joesoef (2004:21) said, all people have rights to achieve knowledge. There are no
boundaries against people who want to study since very beginning. In conclusion, informal is not
a negative alternative.
The last considerable statement on why formal schools should support the existence of
homeschooling is that the students are not ordinary students. They have their own special ability.
It will be very dangerous if there is a student, like Edison, cannot have full attention during the
class. It can be because of that person has very high IQ or other psychological disorder. The
possibility that will happen is that he will bother other students otherwise the teacher will not pay
any attention towards that special student. The class will be not satisfying. The early friends of
mentally ill students are their own parents. It is common if most homeschoolers often get
achievements. It often happens because they learn everything since very beginning and the
subjects are specifics.
The existence of homeschooling in Indonesia is still not effective yet. It happens because
of some people make use of it, cannot afford the tuition of the formal schools, and the various
achievements of homeschooler. However the condition, the existence of homeschooling has
already helped many people who cannot enter the formal schools. It is a better way than they
cannot get study along their life.
REFERENCES
Joesoef, Soelaiman. 2004. Konsep Dasar Pendidikan Luar Sekolah. Jakarta: Bumi Arsar
Marsuki, Saleh. 2008. Konsep Dasar Pendidikan Non Formal, in Dimensi-Dimensi Pendidikan
Nonformal. Waseso Guntur (Ed). Malang: FIP UM
Skager, Rodney. 1978. Lifelong Education and Evaluation Practice. Hamburg: UNESCO
http://edukasi.kompas.com/read/2011/05/07/16491541/Ijazah.Homeschooling.Kerap.Ditolak
http://learninfreedom.org/
http://www.sumardiono.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1269&Itemid=140
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