Parents turn to home schooling

The number of families choosing home schooling in South Africa is rising as more parents look for alternatives to mainstream education. This shift is no longer a small trend but is part of a wider change in how people think about schooling and South Africa. Research shows that the number of home schooled learners has grown significantly in recent years, with more than 300,000 learners already learning this way by 2023.

One of the reasons for this growth is the difficulty many families face when trying to secure school placements for their children at the start of the year. In some provinces, parents wait weeks for confirmation, which disrupts learning and creates stress for families.

Another reason for the exodus from mainstream schools into home schooling is that parents no longer have confidence that the schooling system can meet their children’s needs, especially as pressure on schools continues to grow due to financial constraints, student behaviour, staff shortages, and the top-down approach of some provincial education departments. As a result, home schooling is becoming a reliable option.

The retreat from mainstream education is not only happening in government schools. Rising costs in private education are also pushing more families to consider teaching their children at home.

Technology and online learning platforms are playing an important role in this change, as they make it easier for parents to access structured lessons and professional support while teaching from home. At the moment it looks like home schooling is becoming a mainstream option that more families are considering.