HOMESCHOOLING IS ALLOWED!

By KOPANO MONAHENG

HOMESCHOOLING may be seen by some as unlawful and as depriving children of their right to receive a proper educational foundation.

But Gauteng MEC for Education Lebohang Maile does not think so. Maile says homeschooling is allowed in South Africa, provided parents or guardians have the means, skills and knowledge to get the job done.

Maile said this at a media briefing where he provided an update on the state of independent schools in the province. The briefing took place at Gauteng Gambling Board in Joburg, on September 13.

The MEC said Gauteng parents have the right and freedom to choose where they want their children to be educated, but those rights come with responsibilities.

“That’s why we say yes, your child can learn at home, but there are conditions. If a parent wants their child to be educated at home, and they’ve got the means, the money, the skills, the knowledge and are able to do all the things that the department says must be done, it’s fine,” he said.

Maile said it was important to understand what homeschooling means, as it works on the assumption that the parent is the primary educator. “Where the parent cannot teach a particular subject, the parent is allowed to secure a tutor. But what it doesn’t mean is that the parent can take the child out of school and enrol the child in what we refer to in this document as a tuition centre or a support centre, where the child is attending all the subjects.

“Because now the parent is putting the child at risk because the tuition centre is not registered as a school. So, while it claims to be a tuition centre, in actual fact it’s supposed to assist the parent with the education of the child, not take over the education of the child.”

Maile said the parent remains the primary educator and must register the child with a nearby school for assessment purposes, with that arrangement ending in Grade 9.