With the advent of COVID and closure of schools, online education was forced to flourish, albeit with mixed results. Now, with educational institutions re-opening, many parents are contemplating whether sending their children back is such a good idea after all.
Those with a discerning view have dissected the positives in online education, and realized its shortcomings as well. Many of these parents reason that those shortcomings could be controlled or overcome if they, the parents applied themselves. By introducing a form of homeschooling that would be more beneficial and tailored for their child, they could, in effect, provide a better education than the standard education available in schools.
This newfound awareness is anything but new. Homeschoolers have been speaking about the advantages of home education for some time now. Governments around the world have been actively re-regulating laws and providing infrastructures for homeschoolers. Though the Western world has embraced homeschooling as an equal if not a better path towards academic success, many other countries around the world are quickly recognizing the necessity of establishing homeschooling as a staple form of their education process.
Covid has, in one way, made legislators more aware of the need to reform the current methods of providing education, and the shortcomings in public and private schools. Sadly, some countries have still not adopted homeschooling, and some have gone so far as having homeschooling deemed illegal.
Australia, Canada, New Zealand, The United Kingdom and The United States of America are generally regarded as being the vanguard for homeschooling. The freedom and criteria to homeschool is based on the standard of the provision of quality education set for public and private schools. European countries such as France, Ireland, Norway, Denmark etc. have essentially accepted homeschooling as an equal replacement for public or private schools.
We will take a look at the similarities and differences among these regions in a bit, but the general theme is that each country sets their own educational criteria in line with the scope, regard and ethos of the country.
By and far, homeschooling in Europe is picking up. Even if you ignore the sharp incline because of Covid, European countries have begun accepting homeschooling as a viable and legal alternative to the traditional school system.
Countries like Ireland, UK, and Norway are fully on board and provide support and information for homeschoolers. Conversely, Germany, Spain, Turkey and the Netherlands do not allow homeschooling, except in extreme circumstances.
The basic argument held by these countries where homeschooling is not allowed, is that removing a child from an established and formal system is against a child’s basic right to education, and hinders their opportunity to develop to their fullest potential. They argue that the homeschool environment might not have qualified people to teach and may lack the social interactions required in a child’s educational upbringing.
The following European countries allow homeschooling:
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
European countries that either prohibit or have extreme restrictions:
Albania, Andorra, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Iceland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey.
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RealClear Opinion Research survey shows that more than 40% of parents in the US are likely to homeschool their children after the Covid lockdown eases. With each of the 50 States legalizing homeschooling in the 90’s, there has been a sharp incline in the number of students that are homeschooled. There are currently 2.5 million students in the US that are officially homeschooled with the number being expected to increase by 10% this year.
Even though all 50 states have homeschooling legalized, some states are pretty relaxed with their implementation and feedback policies. Others are extremely strict. There are new laws and regulations constantly being drafted, so what is permissible for one state might not fly for the next.
For example: North Dakota, Massachusetts, Georgia, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont are quite restrictive with an emphasis on achievement, test scores, and other official evaluations. Parental teacher qualification is a requirement, with a state-approved curriculum, and home visits from state officials.
States such as Alaska, Oklahoma, Texas, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and Utah have very few regulations, and generally just require the parents to inform the authorities that their child is being homeschooled.
The remaining fall somewhere in between. However, the brilliance of homeschooling in the US is that everything is spelled out and broken down on each state’s website, with a lot of resources and support offered officially, as well as links to non-official but qualified help for homeschooling.
Chile, Ecuador, and Paraguay are at the top in the list of countries in South America that have both legalized homeschooling and provide resources at government and private level. The Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica, and Uruguay have recently passed laws that completely legalize as well as recognize the authenticity and need of homeschooling.
Though information on homeschooling is extremely vague at best, there are a lot of homeschoolers in the rest of Latin America. This may stem from the fact that authorities are reluctant to actually get involved unless the health and safety of a child is at risk in extreme cases. Since most countries currently don’t have laws regarding homeschooling either way, the legality or illegality becomes a moot issue.
For example, homeschooling does not violate the Brazilian constitution and there are an estimated 8000 families involved in homeschooling there. However, neither is it actually legal to homeschool in Brazil. The status quo is somewhat balanced precariously, although there is a bill in Brazil’s Congress that could legalize homeschooling very soon.
Similarly, without clear compulsory attendance laws, homeschooling is flourishing legally in Mexico and Argentina. As a rule of thumb, Mexican and Argentinian families homeschool without significant interference from the government.
Homeschooling is not legally recognized in Colombian legislation; as such it is neither prohibited nor allowed. Basically, the education laws in Colombia do not mention homeschooling at all, although some laws do address mandatory education, including ages and grades. This leads to state officers believing education is only achieved through traditional schooling. However, the rise in homeschoolers in Colombia is so sharp that authorities believe laws will be passed soon to legalize homeschooling.
In Panama, homeschooling is not legal, but there are a number of families who are currently homeschooling as there are ways to attain a degree without attending formal schooling.
The laws in Bolivia are so complex, that cases can be made for homeschooling to be both legal and illegal, depending on what laws or articles are cited.
Though homeschooling in Peru is not expressly forbidden, their laws make it impossible to get a local degree without attending school. However, other equivalence foreign exams can be attained.
As of now, Costa Rica is the main country in South America that expressly prohibits homeschooling as a viable alternative. Nevertheless, sweeping changes are being made throughout the region with regard to education.
With the exception of South Africa, there is not much information about homeschooling in Africa. The general perception by educational authorities is that home education is becoming more popular. Even though some government and school officials declare that homeschooling is unlawful, the bigger issue is that there is currently no communication between homeschoolers and the government.
Homeschooling in South Africa is clearly defined in the 1996 South African School Act according to the country's government. Since 1996, it has been entirely lawful to homeschool children, with each province having the ability to define its standards. Homeschoolers must register with provincial education authorities
Homeschooling in Egypt, Kenya, Ghana, Botswana, and Namibia is on the rise quite successfully, though their restrictions differ. Each of these countries have different procedures and even though some of the legalities are still in the initial stages, it is expected that homeschooling in these countries will rise by 20%.
It is completely legal to homeschool in all the states and territories of Australia and Canada. The common stipulation is that registration is required, which can be done in person, by registered mail, or online.
One does not need to be a registered teacher, just the student’s legal guardian to homeschool. With both countries being quite progressive, there are numerous groups and communities available for support and help, and various resources and locations centred towards homeschooling.
At Summa Summarum Education we have a
pictorial representation of which countries are favourable for homeschooling. If you’re interested in starting to homeschool your child, have a look at
our guide on how to get started, and how much you can expect
your costs to be during the process.
As always, a step towards a sound home education should be well thought out, planned, and viewed positively. If you require assistance, we offer
tailor-made plans to help keep you on track and ensure your child receives the best from their home education.
No matter where you’re living, and provided the country’s laws allow it, a home education is a sound choice and can be extremely rewarding for both you and your child.
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