While online schooling has been around for at least two decades now, it hasn’t always been as popular as it is today. As the COVID-19 pandemic reached its peak in mid-2020, conventional (in-person) schooling was replaced with online schooling. This switch was expected to be temporary. At the most, parents expected it to last for a handful of months. However, the pandemic continued to deteriorate, taking millions of lives and putting countless others at risk, especially in India.
As the online schooling model became the dominant form of learning in India (albeit by default), students gradually acclimatised to it. Much to their surprise, online schooling presented more benefits than downsides. According to a recent study conducted to gauge students’ perception of online schooling in India, it was revealed that the vast majority of respondents (70% of students) were in favour of online learning. They embraced the flexibility and convenience of online classes.
Presently, over 35 million children don’t attend school in India. Moreover, education quality is vastly uneven across the nation. Students belonging to high-income communities have access to quality education while students from middle- to low-income communities are provided low-quality education, which affects their performance and reduces their chances of upward mobility.
Online schooling makes education more equitable. When provided with a stable internet connection and a laptop/computer, students can receive a quality education across the country, regardless of their location and socioeconomic background. Since online schooling is more affordable than conventional schooling, education equity is increased across the board.
Recommended Read: Scholarships and Bursaries at Cambridge Home School
As a parent, you should have a strong focus on providing your child a quality education in India. If you’re an IGCSE or A Levels student, you should be committed to receiving an education that helps you secure top grades, attend your dream university, and start a rewarding career.
In this blog, we’ll offer a closer look at the incredible benefits of receiving an online education in India. If you’ve already made the switch from conventional to online schooling, use this guide to understand how you’re benefiting from the transition. You can also make some changes to your experience to make the most of online schooling. If you’re considering making the switch but haven’t gone through with it yet, this blog will help you understand how online schooling can benefit you. Continue reading, take notes, and keep the research process going as you make an informed decision.
1. Improvement in Grades
At Cambridge Home School, we provide a quality online British education across four homeschooling programs: Primary Prep/Key Stage 2 (ages 8 to 10), Lower School/Key Stage 3 (ages 11 to 13), Upper School/IGCSEs (ages 14 to 16), and Sixth Form/AS & A-Levels (ages 17 to 19).Our MA/PhD qualified subject specialist teachers provide enriching, engaging, stimulating, interactive, and retentive lessons to students living in New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, Surat, Vadodara, Jaipur, Lucknow, Kanpur, Nagpur, and several other cities of India.
We also have a low student-teacher ratio; each student is provided lessons in small groups of 8–10 pupils. Additionally, we utilise an independent, well-rounded, and interdisciplinary curriculum to help students cover more ground.
Since the national curriculum doesn’t have a concentrated focus on several vital themes, topics, and subtopics, our individualised approach helps Indian students gain an academic edge and secure top grades. In June 2021, 86% of our IGCSE students secured A*s and As in their target subjects. 83% of our A Levels students achieved two A*s and a B (or higher), as required by top universities. Moreover, all students (100%) who applied received offers from some of the leading universities across the globe, especially in the UK and the US.
Our track record indicates a strong focus on academic growth, which is something we have prioritised since our inception in 2001. Over the course of 19 years, our education specialists have been tweaking our curricula, hiring experienced and qualified teachers, and improving class quality to help students achieve impressive academic success across all ages. As you receive an online education from the right institution, you’ll notice a significant improvement in your grades.
At Cambridge Home School, we use the focused learning model to help students absorb and retain knowledge more effectively, maintain peak focus and concentration levels in class, participate actively, and ask questions as frequently as they want. By focusing on these aspects, we help Indian students become confident, curious, critical, and accomplished learners.
Unfortunately, most conventional schools in India don’t share a similar focus. According to Hindustan Times, one of the most esteemed newspapers in India, Indian schools have a student-teacher ratio of 30:1 on average. As up to 30 (and even more) students are taught in one classroom, teachers struggle to provide individualised attention to each pupil. There’s only so much teachers can do. With up to 30 students under their wing, they can’t possibly engage with each pupil as carefully, assiduously, and extensively as they’d like to.
Unfortunately, students bear the brunt of this decision. As they get distracted or lose the gist of the lesson, their teachers are unable to pick up on what’s happening. They continue with the lesson, unaware that several students are possibly a) unfocused, b) struggling to understand the lesson, or c) failing to stay on track.
Since online classrooms don’t comprise more than 10 students, teachers can focus on each student. At Cambridge Home School, if our teachers feel that a student isn’t performing as well or adequately understanding the lesson, they promptly and empathetically ask them relevant questions to gauge their concentration/comprehension levels, something that isn’t done in most conventional schools.
As our teachers realise that some students aren’t in sync with the rest of the class, they provide one-on-one attention to them. Parts of lessons may be repeated, illustrated with more examples, or explained differently. Until our teachers can confidently confirm that every student is learning and progressing in class, they don’t continue with a new topic/sub-topic.
This approach helps our students perform exceptionally well in class. When they sit their tests, mid-term exams, and final exams, they secure top grades. We feel that maintaining this consistency is extremely important, and the online schooling model helps us do justice to it.
2. 24/7 Access to Course Materials and Online Resources
Online schooling stands out for its easy access to course materials and resources. In conventional Indian schools, students aren’t provided with additional tools that can help them clear their concepts, gain a deeper understanding of their lessons, and revise better. This additional step is extremely important. While quality teaching should always be the primary focus, provision of resources should also be given equal importance.
Esteemed online schools help students benefit from a vast online library of educational resources after school hours. Whether they’re completing their homework, revising for the day, or preparing for tests, they can access quality videos, presentations, study guides, past papers, e-books, supplementary audios, notes, and so much more. They can also access course materials online.
This helps students learn better. If they’re stuck at any point, they can save their questions for their teachers. We encourage students to take this step so they’re on track through and through. However, in many cases, students have time-sensitive queries that need prompt resolution. In these situations, our resources can help them gain more clarity. Students aren’t left in a state of limbo; they can simply log into their schooling profile, search for relevant resources, and get immediate help.
Our teachers have also prepared some resources that shed more light on topics and sub-topics that are deemed more complex than usual. While these topics are carefully broken down in class, our additional resources provide students a leg up. When utilised in tandem, excellent teaching and excellent resources can benefit students tremendously. This is one of the most notable benefits of online schooling.
3. A Healthier School–Life Balance
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Participating in the Tokyo Olympics 2020, five Indian teenagers won the hearts of the entire nation earlier this year. Manu Bhaker (19), Saurabh Chaudhary (18), Sonam Malik (19), Anshu Malik (19), and Salima Tete(19) performed exceptionally well and made India immensely proud. These talented teenagers were able to compete in the Olympics because of a healthy school-life balance, which is gradually becoming a stronger focus in India.
Unfortunately, many conventional Indian schools are exclusively focused on academic growth. In fact, there have been many cases of teachers being verbally and physically abusive towards students, all in an attempt to improve their academic performance. This can be extremely damaging to a student’s sense of self-worth, mental health, personal growth, social development, and academic performance. As they face continual abuse in a space that’s supposed to be a wholesome learning environment, they begin to feel inadequate, unworthy, and incapable of achieving academic success.
Online schooling is gradually taking a step away from this model of toxic teaching. At Cambridge Home School, we want Indian students to enjoy a healthy school-life balance. While we have a strong focus on academic growth, we also have a strong focus on athletic performance, personal enrichment, and socialisation.
Our students are encouraged to explore their interests and hobbies outside of school. They socialise with their friends, participate in skill-building activities, play games like Chess and Scrabble, go on family trips to learn about diverse cultures, venture out into new activities and excursions, and spend valuable time with their family.
Like most conventional schools in India, we don’t make our students feel inadequate if their academic performance isn’t up to par. Intimidation and abuse are ineffective. In fact, they can destroy a student’s confidence and interest in learning and growing.
Our MA/PhD qualified subject specialist teachers use an empathetic approach when students are struggling. We provide one-on-one success coaching and pastoral support to each student. This helps us ensure that our students are enjoying good mental health. If they aren’t, we take adequate measures to provide the help they need.
Our teachers closely track each student’s academic performance, understand their learning persona, and develop detailed insights into their academic strengths and weaknesses. By mapping out an academic profile for each student, we’re able to understand a) the exact areas they’re underperforming in, and b) the exact reasons why they’re underperforming. Using this information, our teachers create an individualised strategy for students.
Perhaps a student is struggling to understand critical Math concepts. Or maybe another student performs well in class but doesn’t revise after school, which affects their performance on the whole. Each student’s unique learning traits are understood and dissected so the right approach can be applied. This is something that our teachers are adept at, and it’s exactly what makes us a great fit for students.
By carefully addressing each weakness in a way that students aren’t made to feel inadequate, our teachers help them get back on track. Our students enjoy immense flexibility, perform well in school and on tests, and enjoy a varied range of interests after school. This helps them excel across the board, which is exactly what we want. Our students stand out for being well-rounded individuals. This is the accomplishment we’re most proud of at Cambridge Home School.
4. Career Advancement Opportunities
As an institution, we’re focused on helping students perform exceptionally well during their schooling stages and beyond. In addition to doubling down on academics, we also focus on skill development.
Our teachers instil a wide range of essential soft and hard skills in students. Some of these include (but are not limited to) empathy, respect, discipline, adaptability, problem-solving, teamwork, work ethic, communication, integrity, focus, self-management, situational awareness, time management, creativity, cultural awareness, and responsibility, among countless others.
We carefully structure in-class activities that give students a chance to learn these invaluable skills. As a result, our students go on to enjoy rewarding, fruitful careers. They also enjoy exceptional career advancement.
If you’re considering making the switch to online schooling for your child in India, take a closer look at our homeschooling programs. You can also explore the following resources:
We also provide a quality British online education in the UK, Europe (including Western Russia), Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East. As one of the leading international online schools, we’re committed to helping your child excel.
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FAQ
Why has online schooling become popular in India?
Online schooling gained popularity in India primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which necessitated a switch from traditional in-person schooling to online learning. Surprisingly, students found several benefits in this mode of education, including increased flexibility and convenience.
How does online schooling affect education equity in India?
Online schooling has the potential to level the educational playing field across India. It makes quality education accessible to students irrespective of their geographical location or socioeconomic status, provided they have a stable internet connection and a computer.
What are the academic benefits of enrolling in Cambridge Home School?
Cambridge Home School provides a top-tier British education across multiple age groups. The institution boasts a high student success rate, with a vast majority of students securing top grades in IGCSE and A Levels. It follows an individualised approach to education, helping students to cover more ground academically.
How does online schooling improve access to educational resources?
Online schooling platforms often grant students access to an extensive online library filled with educational materials. These can be videos, study guides, e-books, and more, enabling students to extend their learning beyond the classroom.
What is the approach to student well-being and overall development at Cambridge Home School?
Cambridge Home School aims for a balanced focus on academic achievement and personal enrichment. It employs qualified teachers who use empathetic approaches for student coaching and pastoral support. The online schooling model here also encourages students to explore extracurricular interests and maintains good mental health.