Image credit: instagram.com/calcuttaunschoolers/
Their 12-year-old twins, Isa and Sheherazad, have never attended a conventional school. 5 Oct 2026 | 12:06 Unschooling is not simply keeping a child at home instead of sending them to school. Disclaimer: This article explains unschooling through the reported experiences of families.
Iftekhar, who experienced conventional schooling himself, said he wanted his children to explore life, discover what interests them and eventually choose their own paths. This is where the idea becomes more complicated than a simple “school versus no school” debate. According to Iftekhar students can pursue recognised certification through the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), while some overseas institutions have different admission requirements.
For most parents, school is one of the first big decisions of childhood. For Iftekhar and Shaheera, it was a decision they chose to step away from. Instead, their parents have built learning around travel, conversations, books, tutors, family and everyday experiences. The story offers a closer look at unschooling, an approach that asks a very different question: does learning have to follow a timetable and a syllabus? It is an approach in which learning is guided more by a child’s interests, questions and experiences than by a fixed school curriculum. Their parents say the goal is not to remove learning but to move it beyond a classroom. Unschooling can offer children more room to explore. But it also places considerable responsibility on parents. They need time, resources, patience and the ability to recognise whether a child’s curiosity is actually turning into meaningful learning. Even families featured by My Kolkata acknowledged that the choice can be challenging. One parent described the experience as demanding, particularly as a single mother. There is also the practical question of future qualifications. ID@undefined Caption not available. Probably not. And that may be the most important lesson from this story. Some children thrive with classrooms, teachers, friends, routines and clearly defined academic goals. Others may flourish when given more freedom to follow their interests. The experience of Isa and Sheherazad does not prove that one system is better than another. It shows that education can take different forms, but every alternative still needs commitment, structure and careful thought. For parents, perhaps the more useful question is not whether school should disappear. It is whether children are getting enough space to remain curious even after the school day ends. It does not recommend unschooling over conventional schooling. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test Get the latest Lifestyle News and more. Download the TOI app.
Isa and Sheherazad study subjects including mathematics, science, history and languages, according to The Better India. The twins have also learnt English and Bengali grammar and speak Marwari, according to the report. A child might learn geography while travelling, understand history through places and people, or explore science after becoming curious about something seen in everyday life. The Calcutta Unschoolers group describes this as learning through life, family, books, online resources, grandparents and the wider community. The two terms are often used interchangeably, but they are not always the same. Homeschooling can still follow a planned curriculum, lessons and academic goals outside a conventional school. Unschooling takes a less structured approach and gives greater importance to the child’s interests and natural curiosity. That does not mean there are no boundaries. The parents interviewed by The Telegraph’s My Kolkata stressed that discipline, parental involvement and active guidance still matter. They have tutors and use online resources, while travel becomes part of their education.