Ministry lifts lid on homeschooling

PARENTS who opt to keep homeschooling their children during the ongoing state of emergency will be jeopardised twice, since they will have e-learning expenses while still having to pay school fees in full.

This comes after president Hage Geingob on Tuesday said schools are not allowed to force pupils to return to classes, and parents are allowed to continue with homeschooling.

Returning to school is strictly voluntary, he said.

“Our schools should not employ coercive or punitive measures against parents who decide to initially not resume face-to-face instruction,” the president said.

A number of private schools have already sent circulars to parents demanding full payment for the end of June – whether pupils are going to school or opting for homeschooling.

Sanet Steenkamp, executive director of education, arts and culture, yesterday said children must remain registered at schools, because schools must provide work, and parents are therefore expected to provide schools with financial support.

“Issues of policy take a while, but we are working on a circular that would make it very clear. For the past 60 days children worked with e-learning and did not go to school, but what is changing now, is that the child would be assessed,” Steenkamp said.

She said the Education Act provides for homeschooling, but the ministry is still waiting for the president to sign off the bill, which would become the new act.

“We are just giving that option to parents who are not satisfied that the school meets all the compliance standards. However, the child remains registered at the school and parents honour all payments in terms of school fees and the massive costs involved in the learning packages,” she said.

“It rests on the school management and the teacher to make provision for the work, as well as the assessment towards promotion, but parents take full ownership and responsibility to ensure the child is taught at home,” she said.

Homeschooled children are still required to write schools’ exams, Steenkamp said.

“For the next six months, while we want to conclude this academic year, the government put together a compliance with 19 requirements every school must adhere to, and if parents are not satisfied and feel the health of their children is compromised, they are free to contact the school to make the necessary arrangements,” she said.

Steenkamp said should parents fail to make arrangements with their child’s school, and the child does not return to school, the child is at risk of repeating the academic year.

She said homeschooling would require that a child is registered with an examination board, and added the ministry is looking at how best to offer pupils opportunities to still see the year through.

“All issues of specific requirements for registration with the examination board would be indicated to the parents. There is no perfect system as yet for homeschooling, it is all work in progress, it is just an alternative choice being made available to parents, but as we know, every choice comes with specific responsibilities and ownership that parents must see through,” Steenkamp said.

Steenkamp said it is the government’s responsibility to ensure children up to the age of 16 attend school.

This corroborates the sentiments of the //Kharas regional director of education Johannes //Hoëseb, who said he informed parents who enquired about homeschooling that if they wish to do so, they would need to apply through the regional directorate and the examination board for approval.

This would be granted by the minister of education, arts and culture in line with the Education Act.

“Parents need to know if they prevent a child of schoolgoing age from going to school . . . it is somewhat of a criminal offence. When you operate homeschooling without registration, it is also unlawful,” he said.

The ministry’s director of examinations, Lilia Shaningwa, yesterday said in the past five years, only eight pupils were registered for homeschooling, and in 2020 only one pupil registered.

“The parents applied to homeschool their children based on concrete and proven medical conditions. The approval is also subject to the specific grades,” she said.

– charmaine@namibian.com.na

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