The interest in online schooling has been on the rise in South Africa since 2020 and, with access to reliable and fast internet on the rise, this trend is expected to continue.
So why do families turn to online schooling?
As an online school, CambriLearn has feedback from parents about their reasons for opting for online schooling instead of enrolling their children in traditional schools.
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Before we discuss the benefits, it is important to first understand the difference between homeschooling and online schooling.
What is the Difference Between Homeschooling and Online Schooling?
An online school is a school that is administered online and provides an education that takes place outside of a traditional classroom.
This can take the form of a daily lesson structure where learners “attend school online” from 8am to 2pm, or where learners follow a structured lesson programme online with videos, interactive content, live lessons, and games.
The online school will bear the responsibility of creating lessons, administering tests, and recording results. Learners completing their education through an online school can do so at home, with the help of a tutor or a learning pod.
Homeschooling refers to learners who are learning in a home environment. This usually places the responsibility of creating content and administering tests on the parent or guardian. In this case, the parent is considered the teacher and is responsible for meeting all legal education requirements.
When a homeschooling family chooses to use an online learning platform, to help direct the learner’s learning, they’re referred to as an online homeschooling family.
7 Benefits of Online Schooling
Though South African families cite many reasons for choosing online schooling, these are the top 7 benefits they enjoy when electing to enrol their children in an online school.
1. Online Schooling is Flexible and Self-Paced
Online schooling gives learners the freedom and ability to create their own schedule, allowing them to enjoy a flexible lifestyle and learn in their own time.
These learners typically plan their day to accommodate routines that are often difficult to follow in a traditional school environment. For example, aspiring sports stars usually train for several hours in the morning and complete their schoolwork later in the day.
The flexible approach to schooling also gives learners who grasp topics and complete their assignments quickly, the opportunity to move on to another topic or to pursue other interests.
For example, CambriLearn’s MENSA student, Christopher, has a keen interest in languages and spends his free time learning Mandarin.
2. Online Schools Give Learners a Personalised Learning Experience
Every individual learns differently. Using an online learning platform that combines interactive learning content, recorded video lessons, online question, and answer sessions, and traditional mediums (like assignments) gives each learner the optimal chance of success.
Additionally, if like CambriLearn, the online school places a strict emphasis on personalised learning, students will enjoy the benefit of small classroom sizes and direct chat access to teachers.
3. Online Schooling Means No More School Commutes
School commutes can be stressful for some families, especially if they live some distance from the nearest school.
Even if they don’t, suburban or city traffic places a heavy strain on parents and learners alike, with the mad morning rush to load everyone in the car to be on time for the 7:30 morning bell.
Not to mention the savings families will enjoy on fuel or travel expenses to and from school.
4. Online Schooling Enables More Learning Options
Traditional brick-and-mortar schools in South Africa offer a single curriculum to learners who attend their school.
There are a few curriculums that schools can follow:
- The CAPS Curriculum: Used by public schools in South Africa, this curriculum and the final exams are administered by SACAI and the Department of Education.
- The IEB Curriculum: Many private schools use this curriculum as the South African National Curriculum but with a focus on developing additional problem-solving skills in students.
- The Cambridge / British Curriculum: Many private schools use this curriculum for its international recognition and prestige.
When choosing to enrol in an online school, students have access to additional curricula and can elect to enrol in additional courses from a different curriculum. For example, a Cambridge student can elect to enrol in a Visual Arts course from CAPS if they want to improve their artistic capabilities.
Additionally, parents who want to help their students get an internationally recognised education, they can enrol their child in an online school that offers the Cambridge curriculum at a fraction of the cost of a private school.
5. Online Schools Give Parents More Control Over School-Related Costs
School fees are just one of the costs parents must cover when learners attend a brick-and-mortar school.
The need to buy school uniforms, pay for field trips and contribute to fundraising drives. Additionally, they may also be expected to pay for other cultural activities that come at unexpected times, which could add additional strain on the family’s budget.
This doesn’t mean that online schooling learners don’t participate in extra-murals or explore the world with a field trip; however, parents can plan when and how these activities will take place to align with the family budget.
6. Online Schooling Gives Learners Repeated Access to Learning Material
Learners enrolled with CambriLearn have the benefit of a lesson library where they can revisit topics and concepts that they need additional help with.
This is particularly valuable in Mathematics and Science, where each year a subsequent topic builds on the assumption that the learner has grasped the previous topic.
When researching online schooling, it is important to establish if the school has a searchable lesson library, as this is not a standard benefit across all online schools in South Africa.
7. Online Schooling Exposes Learners to New Cultures
Because online schooling provides access to quality education, learners can sign up from anywhere in the country (and the world).
If you’ve elected to enrol in an online school that offers an internationally recognised curriculum (like the Cambridge, British, or Pearson Edexcel curriculum), your child will have the opportunity to meet and collaborate with students from across the globe.
How to Enrol in CambriLearn’s Online School
To help parents enrol, CambriLearn offers a free education consultation where the admissions team will help parents decide if CambriLearn and online schooling is the right fit for their child. The consultation will also help parents determine which curriculum is the best fit, which will help learners get on the correct career path.
The schooling curriculum will further determine the enrolment requirements. For example, CAPS curriculum students will need to provide proof of current schooling completed to comply with SACAI’s schooling standards.
Parents simply need to contact CambriLearn and complete the Speak to an Education consultant form.
