Article:
The pursuit of knowledge is an eternal journey through carefully laid paths and, at times, unpredictable terrains. As we progressed as a civilization, the pursuit of knowledge has taken shape as curricula and has been encased in education systems.
Over the years, the education system has undergone several changes. Unfortunately, its current version has disappointed parents, so much so that a notable number of parents don’t want to send their wards to school. Of late, millennial parents are opting for homeschooling and unschooling, embracing alternative learning modules for holistic education and imparting knowledge.
“Unschooling” has been a practice for a good number of years now, and with time, it is resonating more deeply with parents. Recently, a couple from Kolkata was featured on a video by Shehnaz Treasurywala who don’t send their kids to school but educate their children by traveling to places, practical knowledge instead of the traditional schooling system. Well, it’s not just them but many others who have decided the same for their children, and all are doing amazingly well.
Iftekhar Ahsan and his wife Shahera Bano don’t send their kids to school but travel the world, meet people, attend workshops, bird walks, and other events where they participate to learn from practical knowledge and experiences. They chose unschooling to let their children learn from life itself, without any definite pattern, curriculum, or routine. There’s a Facebook group called ‘Calcutta Unschoolers’ managed by Mr Iftekar Ahsan, that shares updates about children who are unschooling. The very idea of educating children away from a curriculum and predefined procedure is intriguing, and maybe it even encourages parents to try unschooling their wards.
Unschooling and other alternative learning modules have caught parents’ attention and have been trending for the past several years now; with time, the numbers have been increasing. We tried to reach Mr Ahsan for more insight, but he wasn’t available for a conversation.