An issue of concern to many Chinese parents is the quality of their child's schooling. They wonder if school is the best place for their child, or if he or she would be happier at home. What would children miss out on if they didn't attend a regular school,and what, if any, are the benefits of teaching a child at home?

　　In many Western countries, a considerable number of parents have removed their children from school and are teaching them at home (i.e. homeschooling them) instead. Such children do all their normal lessons at home, often under the guidance of a parent. The first thing to consider is whether this is legal or not. In most countries it is, so long as parents can prove that their children are receiving an adequate education, equal to that provided by their state educational system. The next consideration is whether the parents have the time, self-discipline, intelligence and patience to teach their own child week after week, day in and day out, for hours on end. Then there is the problem of what will be taught, and how.

　　In Australia,swheresI come from, children are homeschooled for a number of reasons. A major one is distance. For children living on outback properties, or large farms, it may take hours to get to school and back each day. Sometimes the only alternative to state boarding school is to be taught at home. The Australian government has a‘School of the Air’system for isolated children, whereby their lessons, which are of the same standard as those taught in schools, are given to students by a teacher via a radio or, nowadays, a computer network. A parent supervises the lessons, and all work is sent to the teacher to be marked.

　　Children may also be homeschooled because they are ill and cannot attend a normal school.Some children may refuse to go to school or may have been excluded because of their behaviour. Others are travelling within Australia or are living overseas for a short time.There are various other grounds as well for not attending school. In these cases, the Australian government provides a‘Distance Education’system: Lessons are sent to the child in the post, or delivered by a distance education teacher, who marks all the completed work. Again, a parent will supervise the child's lessons. This service is provided at a minimal cost, as it is every Australian child's right to receive a free government education. All textbooks, exercise books, stationery, craft and science supplies, and even library books, are provided. In some cases regularsgroupssessions are held so distance education pupils can come together for science, computer or craft activities.

　　Some parents, however, do not want to receive the government educational supplies and lessons, preferring to teach their children at home entirely by themselves. Why should this be? One reason is to keep their child away from other children, typically because the family's faith or lifestyle is radically different from that of the majority of children who attend the local school.By homeschooling their children, these parents can choose exactly what the child is taught, when, and how. In these cases, parents are obliged to demonstrate to the education department that their child is receiving adequate schooling.

　　Often homeschooling parents will join together to teach all their children in a small group, with one parent, for instance, teaching mathematics, science or computing, and another teaching film-making or music.One parental teacher may conduct cooking lessons or supervise sporting activities while another teaches a foreign language.

　　What are the drawbacks of homeschooling? Social isolation is the major problem. Children are naturally social creatures and love to form friendships and learn in asgroupssetting. Many homeschooling parents ensure that their child mixes with other children socially, either by joining a sporting club or taking part in other activities. Also, many homeschooled children may feel bored interacting with just their parent/teacher for many hours a day. And needless to say, not all parents make good instructors.

　　In Australia, the question of whether a child who is homeschooled can be educated to a high enough standard to go on to further education has turned out to be a minor issue. Many children thrive on the individual attention that homeschooling provides, and can often complete grades much faster than children who go to institutional schools. An impressive number of professional people have been homeschooled and then gone on to university with excellent results. Their sense of imagination, research skills and other vital qualities, they feel, were actually enhanced by this method of schooling.