Last-minute decision to homeschool children not an option, parents told
Parents considering to pull their children out of the territory’s school system to provide homeschooling for this academic school year will not be allowed to do so.
This is according to Education Minister Dr Natalio Wheatley who told parents it is not legally possible at this time since the deadline to request permission to homeschool their children has passed.
Dr Wheatley defined homeschooling as the act whereby parents deviate from traditional education and, instead, school their children either themselves or with a tutor.
He said there are clear procedures that are outlined for homeschooling in Section 89 of the Education Act of 2004, and noted that these procedures must be followed to ensure no laws are broken during the process.
“Prior to the commencement of a home education programme, it has to be registered with the ministry. The process includes providing an educational plan for each student who’s receiving home education to the Chief Education Officer three months prior to the home education programme,” Dr Wheatley explained.
“Therefore, for those parents who might be considering homeschooling as an option, please note that this is not an option that can be pursued at this time. You must satisfy the requirements of the Education Act, if you are considering pursuing this option,” he added.
The minister said active discussions on the subject of homeschooling begun popping up in various local circles and on social media following recent his announcement that online learning was going to take place for the rest of 2020.
The 2020/2021 academic year has officially commenced from this week for some private schools while all public schools will begin their school year on September 21.
Dr Wheatley defined homeschooling as the act whereby parents deviate from traditional education and, instead, school their children either themselves or with a tutor.
He said there are clear procedures that are outlined for homeschooling in Section 89 of the Education Act of 2004, and noted that these procedures must be followed to ensure no laws are broken during the process.
“Prior to the commencement of a home education programme, it has to be registered with the ministry. The process includes providing an educational plan for each student who’s receiving home education to the Chief Education Officer three months prior to the home education programme,” Dr Wheatley explained.
“Therefore, for those parents who might be considering homeschooling as an option, please note that this is not an option that can be pursued at this time. You must satisfy the requirements of the Education Act, if you are considering pursuing this option,” he added.
The minister said active discussions on the subject of homeschooling begun popping up in various local circles and on social media following recent his announcement that online learning was going to take place for the rest of 2020.
The 2020/2021 academic year has officially commenced from this week for some private schools while all public schools will begin their school year on September 21.
