El Caribe newspaper features today a story on the advantages of home schooling. The Education Ministry requires that parents of all students participating in home-schooling programs register them as ?free students?. Eugenio and Margarita Mata say the advantages are basically financial, as these families save on the ever-rising tuitions charged by institutions. Other savings come in the form of doing away with the commute to school and back, as well as not having to buy uniforms or make extra payments for school activities. The Matas ? the father is an engineer, the mother a medical doctor ? also say homeschooling allows them to take advantage of better deals for travel abroad during off-peak seasons. Furthermore, they argue that homeschooling allows for a truly personalized education that is less time-consuming and less stressful for the children.
The family uses a Guatemalan-based program, from Colegio Hebron, which charges US$65 per month for texts and material. The children will receive a diploma from the school upon completion of their 12th year. For more information on the Spanish-speaking educational curriculum, write to the Matas at
escuelaencasa@hotmail.com