Probably, it was the last year when government announced two weeks school holidays,  many smart mothers in Karachi did a quick calculation and posted the joke on Facebook.
"School fee saved, electricity bill doubled ".
On my comment,  school fee has already submitted..got the response just assume...we were only calculating.
The joke is an economic reality which says that Pakistan is currently only beginning to confront.
Homeschooling is often taken as a life  style choice they argue about rode education,  values or child psychology. But infect in reality it is first and foremost a matter of an economic decision,  and possibly one of the most complex household accounting models a family will have to understand and undertake.
For a country like Pakistan,  according to estimates the private schools fee has risen by over 150 % during last five years, a lot indeed.
In mega cities like Karachi,  Lahore or Islamabad one child in a decent private school costs between Rs 25,000 to Rs 60,000 per month. It is mathematics. Many families with three and more children ask a simple question,  can we afford to send our children to school or simply cannot afford.
The Visible Savings, and the Hidden Costs: When analysing first in books , homeschooling looks like saving a lot. No admission fee, no monthly tution and no annual 10 % hike , no expensive uniforms,  no Van fee or car gas consumption, no Rs 8000 to 10000 worth stationery to be bought from a designated store.
One middle class family with three school going children,  I discussed with the parents school expenses , calculated expenditure on average is Rs 1.2 to Rs 1.8 million on annual basis. In case of homeschooling this item ( cost ) is instantly removed from the household budget.
Now new budget give surprises. It adds three new items that no one include in the budget.
1. The lost income : According to a small survey by education consultants in Lahore 92 % families, it is the mother who becomes the primary educator . If she was a professional teacher,  doctor,  banker then family's second income or her career is parked for the time being. The most conservative estimates of Rs 80,000 per month, that is, Rs 960,000 annual is the opportunity cost. The savings calculated at the end were very small.
2. The Direct Cost of Homeschooling: As there is no free lunch , good Homeschooling also not free. It requires curriculum ( National, British or American adaptation). This costs Rs 50,000 to Rs 150,000 per year for a single child. Additional cost is of good internet , printer ,science kit, art supplies,  online tutors and membership to libraries, sports clubs for socialisation.
Well to do parents report on above spending approximately is Rs 300,000 to Rs 500,000 Less then elite private schools but not zero .
3. The Cost of Burnout : one cannot  quantify the cost of physical and mental exertion but it is there. A school provides childcare also not only education. Both parents can work. Childcare cost is not seen but it has a cost.
In the words of one homeschooling mother of two in DHA Karachi ,
" people think homeschooling is parents teaching children. No it's  not. It is parents becoming a small school. And every school big or small needs a principal, teacher. accountant and a counsellor. All played by one or two people ".
Pakistan already has an estimated 22.8 million out of school children. The increasing middle class homeschooling is different from out of school children phenomena but reason is same.
The formal education system fail to deliver expected/assumed value of money.
When children exit the private schools market.. one observe two things happen. First good private schools lose their most involved parents, those who ask questions who demand quality. Secondly, a parallel economy emerges like online academies, tutors,  co- op centers in houses , WhatsApp groups trying to sell second hand curriculum. In Pakistan this informal economy is estimated to be worth over 3--4 billion and entirely untaxed and not regulated.
There is also a long-term labour market effect. In US where 3.7 million children are homeschooled perform well academically. But in a country where female labour force participation is already low (21% only )can these mothers stay home for 12 years to teach children?
 Question arises is it to help or hurt the economy. Question still to be asked to find the answere from the economists.
Homeschooling require one parent, usually the mother. She should be educated to teach and confident enough to defy social pressure and financially secure enough who need not a second income. Also require a home having enough peaceful space for learning and also need to have supportive family members.
Ofcourse homeschooling is not for low income group  where both parents are daily wage workers..this simply open another debate that in Pakistan the homeschooling phenomenon is entirely unequal .For the rich homeschooling is an alternative but for poor no alternative but compulsion to stay home and work.
To conclude,  homeschooling is not cheaper then school but expensive in other ways.
A school can teach a child how to earn and live.
But it's home where child learn how  to make a life worth living.