April 24, 2005

• Familial education freedom under threat down under

  It appears that state governments in Australia
  are eyeing homeschools with intentions to regulate the growing movement. Julie
  Novak writes of her apprehension over state interference in legitimate family
  freedom:
  

  Along with control over government and
  non-government schools, the reach of state regulations is gradually being
  extended into the home-school sector. In all states except  Victoria the
  respective education legislation states that it is the responsibility of the
  minister for education (and not parents) to provide for the education of
  children. Further, under state regulations, if parents wish to home educate
  during the compulsory schooling years they must seek the permission of their
  state government to do so, typically through a registration or dispensation
  process.

  This allows states to identify
  home-schools, and serves as a regulatory “back door” to impose a range of
  conditions on home-schooling environments. These potentially include
  conformity to state curricula, testing and evaluation standards and for
  individual home-schools to report regularly to education departments on their
  activities and student outcomes. It requires that the parent providing the
  home-schooling is a registered teacher, and allows officials to monitor a
  home-school as they see fit.

  In essence, the states are increasingly
  responding to the challenge provided by the home-school movement to its
  education monopoly by systematically undermining and co-opting parents by
  establishing “government home-schooling” programs. In attempting to regulate
  truly independent Australian home-schooling out of existence by making them
  operate more like conventional government schools, the states and territories
  are once again demonstrating their willingness to encroach on school choice
  options and, in the particular case of home-schooling, familial educational
  freedom and independence itself.

  You can read the whole article here.
  The road ahead for homeschoolers in the land of Oz is getting bumpy.
  But unlike Australia, we in Malaysia have little or no recourse whether for dialogue
  or judicial review of homeschool-unfriendly laws.

  • 11:10 am
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