Good morning, I received this email regarding the planned changes in home education. Please read and forward to others. Thank you Ragenhild. From: KidZplay Information Date: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 19:35:58 Reply-To: [email protected] Subject: This is a forwarded message - worth reading - First Home Education Storm Reaching Higher Homeschool News First Home Education Storm Just days after our previous newsletter app.getresponse/click.html?x=a62b&lc=hrNby&mc=Bm&s=lPqS5&u=B7AS&y=l&, reporting about bad weather predicted for homeschooling in SA, the first ‘storm’ struck. On 11 February 2014, the Western Cape Department of Education released a draft policy on home education to Cape Home Educators and the Pestalozzi Trust. You can download it at here. app.getresponse/click.html?x=a62b&lc=hrpLx&mc=Bm&s=lPqS5&u=B7AS&y=g&> There was an immediate outcry among home educators across the country as the policy denied parents their constitutional right to choose the form of education in the best interests of their children. It also insisted that the state’s values be taught to home educated children – an infringement of the right of parents to raise their children according to their own religious and moral values. It gave all power to the head of the department of education, who would approve curricula, require regular assessments, monitor children’s progress and have the right to withdraw the registration for homeschooling should he wish. It required that parents justify their reason for choosing home education, keep attendance records, keep records of regular assessments and a portfolio of the children’s work. There were many other points of concern. Home educators sent emails of concern and protest to their local DA(Democratic Alliance) councillors nationwide, since the Western Cape is a DA-run province. Emails were also sent directly to the WC Department of Education. The email campaign caused a significant stir. DA councillors were soon passing the concerns of “disgruntled voters” up the ranks and by 14 February, just 3 days later, an announcement from the Department of Education stated: “The document currently in circulation on Home Schooling has no formal status. It has not been seen by the Minister, the Head of Education or any formal structure within the WCED. The document has been withdrawn with immediate effect by the Head of Education and the WCED apologises unreservedly for any concerns which its appearance has caused.” So, the email campaign was successful, but the heavy weather is far from over. Subsequently, Donald Grant (Minister of Education in WC) stated that the WCED would wait for the new national draft policy, due in August 2014, before drafting a new provincial one. In other words, the DA is likely to follow the ANC’s lead on policy for home education. This is not a good thing as the ANC intends to gain greater control over the homeschooling movement. The Minister of Education herself has suggested that we can expect strong pressure from government over the next 3-5 years. Therefore, at a meeting of members of Cape Home Educators at Camps Bay on 22 February, a steering committee was elected solely for the purpose of representing home educators and communicating with government. It appears that the withdrawal of the draft policy was just a pre-election strategy to pacify the home educating electorate, because between 03-07 March, in newspapers across the Western Cape an “Important Notice” with a subtitle FACTS ABOUT HOME EDUCATION was published by the WCED for the third time, (previously in 2010 and 2012) repeating some of those same unlawful restrictions as in the withdrawn policy. We’d like to repeat what you can do app.getresponse/click.html?x=a62b&lc=hrNby&mc=Bm&s=lPqS5&u=B7AS&y=l&> in this stormy climate: 1. Get connected and support homeschooling organisations that represent our interests 2. Know the law and stand up for the right to educate our children at home 3. Overcome your fears and renew your mind 4. Exercise your faith in your Heavenly Father and pray for our nation Motivate other home educators to do the same. You are welcome to forward this newsletter in its entirety to your support group.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 10:43:39 +0000
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