State to tighten grip on home teaching

Parents who want to educate their children at home will have many new responsibilities to fulfill if proposals by the Department of Basic Education get the green light.

They need to apply to the department to register a pupil, keep a record of attendance, compile a timetable and provide education in a way that is consistent with the law.

These are some of the proposals contained in the Department of Basic Education's draft policy on home education, which was issued for public comment last week.

The notice appeared a week after thousands of parents submitted letters opposing amendments to the Schools Act.

The Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill, if enacted, would strip school governing bodies of nearly all their powers, such as setting language policy, appointing teachers and deciding on pupil admissions.

The draft policy is intended to amend the Policy for the Registration of Learners for Home Education, which was promulgated in 1999.

People have until December 8 to submit their comments and recommendations on the proposed policy, but organisations in favour of home schooling have asked for more time.

The current policy is silent on unregistered educational institutions, which have become known as "cottage schools", but the draft states that they do not form part of the government definition of home education.

It also states that a parent may not "outsource" his teaching responsibilities to another person or institution.

It says home-taught children should receive their education primarily at home.

The Pestalozzi Trust, a legal defence fund for proponents of private education, advised parents to ask for an extension of the submissions deadline.

Shaun Green, of the Association for Home Schooling, said the proposed changes would demand more of parents engaged in home schooling.

Shirley Erwee, an activist and author of a home-schooling curriculum, said the assumption of those who had drafted the new policy was that parents could not be trusted to care for and educate their children at home unless they were subjected to continuous checks by the government.

"But the irony is that parents can no longer trust the state to provide quality education for their children.

"This is one of the driving forces behind the growth of home education and the cottage school movement in South Africa," said Erwee.