Homeschooling international status and statistics
Encyclopedia
Homeschooling is legal in many countries. Countries with the most prevalent home education movements include Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Some countries have highly regulated home education programs as an extension of the compulsory school system; others, such as Germany, have outlawed it entirely. Brazil has a law project in process. In other countries, while not restricted by law, homeschooling is not socially acceptable or considered undesirable and is virtually non-existent.
Homeschooling is legal according to South Africa
n national law, but individual provinces have the authority to set their own restrictions.
There is no law addressing homeschooling in Argentina. It is the parents' responsibility to make sure their child(ren) get an adequate education.
A couple, a Brazilian mother and an American father, was investigated in 2010 by the municipal government of Serra Negra
, São Paulo
, for homeschooling their children. The local authorities were tipped off by an anonymous source because the couples's two daughters did not attend school. The Public Ministry
expected to reach an agreement with the family to enlist the infants in formal schools. Enrollment in schools in Brazil is mandatory for people aged 4–17.
Approximately 1% to 2% of North American children are homeschooled, which includes about 60,000 in Canada. Back in 1995, Meighan estimated the total number of homeschoolers in Canada, to be 10,000 official and 20,000 unofficial. Karl M. Bunday estimated, in 1995, based on journalistic reports, that about 1 percent of school-age children were homeschooled. In April 2005, the total number of registered homeschool students in British Columbia was 3,068. In Manitoba, homeschoolers are required to register with Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth. The number of homeschoolers is noted at over 1,500 in 2006; 0.5% of students enrolled in the public system.
In "The Condition of Education 2000-2009," The National Center for Education Statistics of the United States Department of Education
reports that In 2007, the number of homeschooled students was about 1.5 million, an increase from 850,000 in 1999 and 1.1 million in 2003. The percentage of the school-age population that was homeschooled increased from 1.7 percent in 1999 to 2.9 percent in 2007. The increase in the percentage of homeschooled students from 1999 to 2007 represents a 74 percent relative increase over the 8-year period and a 36 percent relative increase since 2003. In 2007, the majority of homeschooled students received all of their education at home (84 percent), but some attended school up to 25 hours per week.
There are no accurate statistics on homeschooling in the People's Republic of China
.
The Compulsory Education Law states that the community, schools and families shall safeguard the right to compulsory education of school-age children and adolescents, and, compulsory education is defined as attending a school, which is holding a schooling licence granted by the government. Therefore, homeschooling is deemed to be illegal. The law does not apply to non-citizen children (those with foreign passports).
However, due to the large population of hundreds of millions of migration workers, alongside with their children, it rarely happens that the government inspects if a child is attending a licensed school or not. Thus there usually is no punishment to parents who homeschool their children.
It should be noted that in many cases children are unable to attend school due to economic difficulties, as compulsory education offered by local governments is not always free.
An organization called Shanghai Home-School Association was launched in September 2003.
Attendance at school is compulsory and free for students aged six to fifteen in Hong Kong. Parents who fail to send their children to school can be jailed for 3 months and fined HK$10000. In 2000, a man named Leung Jigwong (梁志光) disagreed with Hong Kong's education policy and refused to send his 9-year-old daughter to school. Instead, he taught her Chinese, English, French, Mathematics and The Art of War
at home. After 2.5 years of discussion, the Education Department finally served an "attendance order" on him and his child was required to attend a normal school.
school, but the number of homeschoolers is much smaller, though it is increasing.
Homeschooling in Indonesia
is regulated under National Education System 2003 under division of informal education. This enables the children of Homeschooling to attend an equal National Tests to obtain an "Equivalent Certificate". The homeschooling is recently becoming a trend in upper-middle to upper class families with highly educated parents with capability to provide better tutoring or expatriate families living far away from International School.
Since 2007 the Indonesia's National Education Department took efforts in providing Training for Homeschooling Tutors and Learning Media even though the existence of this community is still disputed by other Non Formal education operators.
school.
Homeschooling in Taiwan, Republic of China
is legally recognized since 1982 and regulated as a possible form of special education since 1997.
Homeschooling is legal in Austria. However, every homeschooled child is required to take an exam, administered four times per year, to ensure that he or she is being educated at an appropriate level. If the child fails the test, he or she must attend a state school the following year.
Children have to be registered as home-educated. In Wallonia, the French-speaking part of the country, they are tested at 8, 10, 12, and 14.
The tests are new and there is still a lot of confusion on the tests and the legal situation around them. In Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of the country, the law is different: the tests are optional.
Home education was legal in Croatia in 1874 when Croatian law stated that parents have a duty to educate their children either at home or by sending them to school. The child had to pass an exam in a public school at the end of every school year.
The primary education in Croatia is compulsory from the age of six to fifteen and it spans eight grades.
On September 2010 a religious organisation Hrvatska kršćanska koalicija submitted a proposal to change the law so home education would become legal in Croatia. The civil organisation Obrazovanje na drugi način joined in and is now working on its own proposal.
The proposed model is based on Slovenian and Montenegrin model of home education. The child is required to enroll into a local school (public or private) and pass annual exam in certain subjects (mother tongue and math only in lower grades; with addition of foreign language in middle grades and more subjects in higher grades). If the child does not pass all the exams in two attempts, it is ordered to continue the education with regular school attendance. Every year the parents have to notify the school by the end of May that they will be educating their child at home.
Like in the case of Slovenia and Montenegro, the proposed model does not impose any limitation on who can home educate. The parents educating their children at home are not eligible to receive any kind of state help. The schools are free to choose whether they will allow special arrangements with children educated at home (flexi-schooling, the use of school resources, participation in field trips and other school activities, etc.). The Ministry of Education and schools are not required to provide any form of help to parents of children educated at home (teacher guides, worksheets, consultation, etc.).
The proposed model was chosen as it requires minimal change to the existing law and would be possible to implement within the current educational framework. The Croatian Constitution, in the Article 63 paragraph 1, states that parents have a duty to school their children. Similarly, in the Article 65 paragraph 1, it states that primary schooling is compulsory and free. It is deeply ingrained in Croatian culture that education cannot happen without schooling.
As of July 2011 there are three alternative primary schools in Croatia - one Montessori and two Steiner Waldorf schools. Alternative schools in Croatia are required to follow national curriculum (Article 26 paragraph 1, Article 30).
Homeschooling has been legal since 2005.
It follows from § 76 in the Danish constitution that homeschooling is legal.
In Finland homeschooling is legal but unusual. The parents are responsible for the child getting the compulsory education and the advancements are supervised by the home municipality. The parents have the same freedom to make up their own curriculum as the municipalities have regarding the school, only national guiding principles of the curriculum have to be followed.
Choosing homeschooling means that the municipality is not obliged to offer school books, health care at school, free lunches or other privileges prescribed by the law on primary education, but the ministry of education reminds they may be offered. The parents should be informed of the consequences of the choice and the arrangements should be discussed.
In France, homeschooling is legal and requires the child to be registered with two authorities, the 'Inspection Académique' and the local town hall (Mairie). Children between the ages of 6 and 16 who are not enrolled in recognized correspondence courses are subject to annual inspection.
The inspection is carried out to check that the child's knowledge has progressed as a comparison from the previous inspection; sometimes it involves written tests, though those are illegal, in both French and Mathematics, the first of which is used as a benchmark to check what level the child is. The tests are carried out with the anticipation that the child will progress in ability as she/he ages, thus they are designed to measure development with age, rather than as a comparison to say a school child of a similar age.
Homeschooling is illegal in Germany with rare exceptions. The requirement to attend school has been upheld, on challenge from parents, by the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany
. Parents violating the law have primarily or most prominently been Christians seeking a more religious education than that offered by the schools. Sanctions against these parents have included fines of thousands of euros, successful legal actions to remove children from the parents' custody, and prison sentences. It has been estimated that 600 to 1,000 German children are homeschooled, despite its illegality.
In a legal case commenced in 2003 at the European Court of Human Rights
, a homeschooling
parent couple argued on behalf of their children that Germany's compulsory school attendance endangered their children's religious upbringing, promoted teaching inconsistent with their Christian faith–-especially the German State's mandates relating to sex education in the schools--and contravened the declaration in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union
that "the State shall respect the right of parents to ensure education and teaching is in conformity with their own religious and philosophical convictions".
In September 2006, the European Court of Human Rights upheld the German ban on homeschooling, stating "parents may not refuse... [compulsory schooling] on the basis of their convictions", and adding that the right to education "calls for regulation by the State". The European Court took the position that the plaintiffs were the children, not their parents, and declared "children are unable to foresee the consequences of their parents' decision for home education because of their young age.... Schools represent society, and it is in the children's interest to become part of that society. The parents' right to educate does not go as far as to deprive their children of that experience."
The European Court endorsed a "carefully reasoned" decision of the German court concerning "the general interest of society to avoid the emergence of parallel societies based on separate philosophical convictions and the importance of integrating minorities into society."
In January 2010, a United States
immigration judge granted asylum
to a German homeschooling family, apparently based on this ban on homeschooling.
The Hungarian laws allow homeschoolers to teach their children as private students at home as long as they generally follow the state curriculum and have children examined twice a year. Although homeschooling is still extremely rare.
From 2004 to 2006, 225 children had been officially registered with the Republic of Ireland
's National Education Welfare Board, which estimated there may be as many as 1500–2000 more unregistered homeschoolers. The right to a home education is guaranteed by the Constitution of Ireland
.
In Italy, homeschooling (called Istruzione parentale in Italian
) is legal but not common: children must be registered to the school where they will take their final exams, and parents must justify their decision to homeschool their children at the beginning of every year.
In the Netherlands every child is subject to compulsory education from his/her fifth birthday. The exemptions are extended on the basis of a clause in the law exempting parents from sending their child to school if they object to the "direction" of the education of all schools within a reasonable distance to their home.
Homeschooling is only allowed on highly regulated terms. Every child must be enrolled in a school (as of 2009, the school does not need to be a public school). The school principal may, but is not obliged to, allow of homeschooling a particular child. Homeschooled children are required to pass annual exams covering material in school curriculum, and failure on an exam automatically terminates the homeschooling permit.
The number of homeschoolers in Russia has tripled since 1994 to approximately 1 million. Russian homeschoolers are attached to an educational institution where they have the right to access textbooks and teacher support, and where they pass periodic appraisals of their work. The State is obliged to pay the parents cash equal to the cost of educating the child at the municipal school.
Home education (slo. izobraževanje na domu) is legal in Slovenia since 1996. The law regarding home education has not been changed since then. It is almost identical to Montenegrin model of home education. According to Slovenian Ministry of Education it was based on Danish model of home education.
The compulsory school-age starts at 6 and lasts for 9 years ( Page 18(8666) Article 45). The child being home educated is required to enroll into a local school (public or private) and pass annual exam in certain subjects (mother tongue and math only in lower grades; with addition of foreign language in middle grades and more subjects in higher grades, Page 22(8670) Article 90). If the child does not pass all the exams in two attempts, it is ordered to continue the education with regular school attendance. Every year the parents have to notify the school by the end of May that they will be home educating their child.
There are no special requirements for parents wanting to home educate their children. Parents are not eligible for any kind of state help nor are schools required to provide any kind of assistance. The schools are free to choose (they often do) whether they will allow special arrangements with home educated children (flexi-schooling, the use of school resources, participation in field trips and other school activities, etc.). The Ministry of Education and schools are not required to provide any form of help to parents of home educated children (teacher guides, worksheets, consultation, etc.).
In the school year 2010/2011 97 children have been home educated.
As of July 2011 there are no organised home education groups in Slovenia.
Homeschooling is legal with obstacles in Slovak Republic. Child's tutor is required to have a degree with major in primary school education.
According to the recent decision of the Spanish Constitutional Court (STC 133/2010, of 2 December)http://www.tribunalconstitucional.es/es/jurisprudencia/Paginas/Sentencia.aspx?cod=10041 there is in Spain mandatory school attendance (Sec. 4.2 Organic Law on Education 2/2006, of 3 May)http://www.boe.es/aeboe/consultas/bases_datos/doc.php?id=BOE-A-2006-7899, and no lack of regulation of homeschooling. Therefore Homeschooling may be regarded illegal by the law and is not granted by the constitutional right of parents to choose the moral and religious education of their preference for their children. The regional government of Catalonia
announced in the article 55 of its 2009 education law the right of "education without attendance to school". However the regulation of that right hasn't yet been developed. As far as it could not contradict education law passed by the national parliament, this right of catalonian law could only refer to the pupils that cannot attend regularly to school, that may have a special attention and help in order to grant them their education right (Sec. 3.9 Organic Law on Education 2/2006)http://www.boe.es/aeboe/consultas/bases_datos/doc.php?id=BOE-A-2006-7899.
Children have to attend school from the age of 7. Homeschooling as an afterschool activity is allowed when attending school.
It is not technically illegal. It is, however, very difficult to get approved by the county in which one lives. Stockholm is in general more difficult to get approval than elsewhere in the country. Sweden has 2010 approved a law (SFS 2010:800) that restricts homeschooling even further, requiring special reasons, like foreign parents temporarily working in Sweden, but not religious beliefs. A recent court case has supported restrictions on parents, even those with teacher-training, to educate their own child.
Requirements vary from Canton to Canton. Over 200 families currently homeschool
In the Republic of Turkey, all children are required to be registered in state or private school so as to be in compliance with the National Education Basic Law (No. 1739, 06-14-1973, Article 22). Distance education is also available through Turkey's national television channels. Through this particular option, students go to a particular test site and take examinations based on what they have studied. In Turkey, parents who fail to send their children to school are charged as criminals, which at times may result in their incarceration. Due to the above legal constraints, Turkish parents face a great deal of difficulty in pursuing homeschooling for their children.
The Home School Legal Defense Association claims that homeschooling is legal and expressly allowed for in Ukraine’s Education Law, but local authorities do not always agree.
Homeschooling is mentioned swiftly in The Law of Ukraine on Education, article 59:
, Scotland
and Northern Ireland
have their own education laws each with slight variations regarding education otherwise than at school.)
Education provided outside a formal school system is primarily known as Home Education within the United Kingdom, the term Homeschooling is occasionally used for those following a formal, structured style of education – literally schooling at home. To distinguish between those who are educated outside of school from necessity (e.g. from ill health, or a working child actor) and those who actively reject schooling as a suitable means of education the term Elective Home Education is used.
The Badman Review
in 2009 stated that "approximately 20,000 home educated children and young people are known to local authorities, estimates vary as to the real number which could be in excess of 80,000."
The Australian census does not track homeschooling families, but Philip Strange of Home Education Association, Inc. very roughly estimates 15,000.
In 1995, Roland Meighan of Nottingham School of Education estimated some 20,000 families homeschooling in Australia.
In 2006, Victoria
passed legislation requiring the registration of children up to the age of 16 and increasing the school leaving age to 16 from the previous 15, undertaking home education (registration is optional for those age of 16–17 but highly recommended). The Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) is the registering body.
Karl M. Bunday cites the New Zealand TV program "Sixty Minutes" (unrelated to the U.S. program), as stating in 1996 that there were 7,000 school-age children being homeschooled. Philip Strange of the Australian Home Education Association Inc. quotes "5274 registered home educated students in 3001 families" in 1998 from the New Zealand Ministry of Education.
Europe
| Country | Status | Statistics | Map | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 Education in Albania The literacy rate in Albania for the total population, age 9 or older, is about 99%. Elementary education is compulsory , but most students continue at least until a secondary education... 2 |
| Andorra | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 2 |
| Armenia | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 Education in Armenia In its first years of independence, Armenia made uneven progress in establishing systems to meet its national requirements in social services. Education, held in particular esteem in Armenian culture, changed fastest of the social services, while health and welfare services attempted to maintain... 2 |
| Austria | Legal under restrictive conditions, homeschooling is allowed as long as the instruction is at least equal to that of the state school. | Unknown | ███ | 1 Education in Austria The Republic of Austria has a free and public school system, and nine years of education are mandatory. Schools offer a series of vocational-technical and university preparatory tracks involving one to four additional years of education beyond the minimum mandatory level. The legal basis for... 2 |
| Azerbaijan | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 Education in Azerbaijan Education system in Azerbaijan is regulated by the Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan.In the pre-Soviet period, Azerbaijani education included intensive Islamic religious training that commenced in early childhood. Beginning at roughly age five and sometimes continuing until age twenty, children... 2 |
| Belarus | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 Education in Belarus Education in Belarus is free at all levels except higher education. The government ministry that oversees the running of the school systems is the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus. Each of the regions inside Belarus have oversight of the education systems, and students have the... 2 |
| Belgium | Legal under restrictive conditions, Homeschooling is a constitutional right in Belgium. | 500 | ███ | 1 2 Education in Belgium Education in Belgium is regulated and for the larger part financed by one of the three communities: Flemish, French and German-speaking. The national legislator only kept a very few, minimal competences for education as the age for mandatory schooling, and, indirectly, the financing of the... 3 |
| Bosnia and Herz. | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 2 |
| Bulgaria | Illegal, public education is mandatory. Only children with special needs may be homeschooled under strict government control. | Less than 100 families | ███ | 1 Education in Bulgaria Education in Bulgaria is overseen by the Ministry of Education and Science. Full-time education is mandatory for all children aged between 7 and 16. 6-year old children can be enrolled at school at their parents' discretion. Education at state-owned schools is free of charge, except for the higher... 2 3 |
| Croatia | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 Education in Croatia Education in Croatia is defined as a constitutional right: the Constitution of Croatia section 65 defines primary education as mandatory and free, while secondary and higher education as equally available to all... 2 |
| Cyprus | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 |
| Czech Republic | Legal under restrictive conditions by temporary experimental law for children aged 5-12 | Unknown | ███ | 1 2 3 |
| Denmark | Legal as alternative to the mandatory public school system. | 1% of students | ███ | 1 Education in Denmark Education in Denmark is compulsory for children below 15 or 16. The school years up to the age of fifteen/sixteen are known as Folkeskole . About 82% of young people take further education in addition to this. Government-funded education is usually free of charge and open to all... 2 3 |
| Estonia | Legal under restrictive conditions, only allowed for exceptional cases. | Unknown | ███ | 1 Education in Estonia The history of formal education in Estonia dates back to the 13–14th centuries when the first monastic and cathedral schools were founded. The first primer in the Estonian language was published in 1575. The oldest university is the University of Tartu which was established by the Swedish king... 2 |
| Finland | Legal as alternative to the mandatory public school system. Written and oral examinations to check on progress are mandatory. | Unknown | ███ | 1 2 3 Education in Finland The Finnish education system is an egalitarian Nordic system, with no tuition fees and with free meals served to full-time students. The present Finnish education system consists of well-funded and carefully thought out daycare programs and a one-year "pre-school" ; a nine-year compulsory basic... |
| France | Legal as alternative to the mandatory public school system. Inspections are mandatory every years. | Unknown | ███ | 1 |
| Georgia | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 2 |
| Germany | Illegal, public or approved private education is mandatory with the only exception for foreign families that live in the country for a short time. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 Education in Germany The responsibility for the German education system lies primarily with the states while the federal government plays only a minor role. Optional Kindergarten education is provided for all children between three and six years of age, after which school attendance is compulsory, in most cases for... |
| Greece | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 |
| Hungary | Legal under regulating conditions, such as mandatory tests and checks. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 Education in Hungary -The social environment of education:The decline of Hungary's population that started in 1981 has also continued in recent years. According to the 2001 census, the population of Hungary was 10,198,000, about half a million less than the figure of twenty years earlier. By 2005 the population dropped... |
| Iceland | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 Education in Iceland The system of education in Iceland is divided in four levels: playschool, compulsory, upper secondary and higher, and is similar to that of other Nordic countries. Education is mandatory for children aged 6–16. Most institutions are funded by the state; there are very few private schools in the... |
| Ireland | Legal, homeschooling is allowed by the constitution. | Unknown | ███ | 1 Education in the Republic of Ireland The levels of education in Ireland are primary, secondary and higher education. In recent years further education has grown immensely. Growth in the economy since the 1960s has driven much of the change in the education system. Education in Ireland is free at all levels, including college , but... |
| Italy | Legal, homeschooling is allowed by the constitution. | Unknown | ███ | 1 Education in Italy Education in Italy is compulsory from 6 to 15/16 years of age, and is divided into five stages: kindergarten , primary school , lower secondary school , upper secondary school and university... |
| Kazakhstan | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 Education in Kazakhstan Following independence from the Soviet Union a major economic depression cut "public financing" for education in Kazakhstan, "which dropped from 6% of gross domestic product in 1991 to about 3% in 1994, before rising to 4% in 1999." Elementary- and secondary-school teachers remain badly underpaid;... |
| Latvia | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 2 |
| Liechtenstein | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 2 |
| Lithuania | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 2 |
| Luxembourg | Legal. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 2 |
| Macedonia | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 2 |
| Malta | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 2 |
| Moldova | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 |
| Monaco | ███ | |||
| Montenegro | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 Education in Montenegro Education in Montenegro is regulated by the Ministry of Education and Science of Government of Montenegro.Education starts in either pre-schools or elementary schools. Children enroll in elementary schools at the age of 6 and it lasts for nine years.- History :Before 1868, there were only a few... |
| Netherlands | Legal under restrictive conditions, only legal for parents that can not find a public school fitting their beliefs in the area. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 2 Education in the Netherlands Education in the Netherlands is characterized by division: education is orientated toward the needs and background of the pupil. Education is divided over schools for different age groups, some of which are divided in streams for different educational levels... |
| Norway | Legal | - | ███ | 1 Education in Norway Education in Norway is mandatory for all children aged 6–16. The school year in Norway runs from mid August to late June the following year. The Christmas holiday from mid December to early January historically divides the Norwegian school year into two terms... |
| Poland | Legal under restrictive conditions. Every homeschooled child must be supervised by an authorized school and pass annual exams. Homeschooled children received diplomas from supervising school. | Unknown | ███ | 1 2 Education in Poland Since changes made in 2009 Education in Poland starts at the age of five or six for the 0 class and six or seven years in the 1st class of primary school . It is compulsory that children do one year of formal education before entering 1st class at no later than 7 years of age... |
| Portugal | Legal. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 Education in Portugal Education in Portugal is regulated by the State through two ministries - the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education. There are a system of public education and also many private schools at all levels of education... |
| Romania | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 Education in Romania According to the Law on Education adopted in 1995, the Romanian Educational System is regulated by the Ministry of Education and Research . Each level has its own form of organization and is subject to different legislation. Kindergarten is optional between 3 and 6 years old... |
| Russia | Legal since 1992, law sometimes ignored and not made legal. | Unknown | ███ | 1 Education in Russia Education in Russia is provided predominantly by the state and is regulated by the federal Ministry of Education and Science. Regional authorities regulate education within their jurisdictions within the prevailing framework of federal laws. In 2004 state spending for education amounted to 3.6% of... 2 |
| San Marino | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 |
| Serbia | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 |
| Slovakia | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 Education in Slovakia Education in Slovakia consists of a free education system based on 10 years of compulsory school attendance.- General characteristics:Most schools, especially universities, are owned by the state, though since the 1990s there are also church-owned and private schools .Slovakia has 10 years of... |
| Slovenia | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 |
| Spain | Legal under restrictive conditions, parents are allowed to homeschool if they pass a test by the authorities. | Unknown | ███ | 1 Education in Spain The current system of education in Spain is known as LOE after the Ley Orgánica de Educación, or Fundamental Law of Education. Education in Spain is compulsory, and free from 6 to 16 years of age, supported by the Government in each Region.... 2 3 |
| Sweden | Illegal, as of June 2010; supposedly allowed under special circumstances such as student health reasons or family travel, but virtually never approved. Officials often ignore legally permitted appeals. | 200 families—half legally | ███ | 1 Education in Sweden Education in Sweden is mandatory for all children from year 1 to year 9 - generally from the year of the child’s seventh birthday to the year of the child’s 16th... http://www.hslda.org/hs/international/Sweden/201007070.asp http://www.hslda.org/hs/international/Sweden/201010250.asp 2 3 4 |
| Switzerland | Legal under restrictive conditions in most cantons (states). | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 Education in Switzerland The education system in Switzerland is very diverse, because the constitution of Switzerland delegates the authority for the school system mainly to the cantons... 2 |
| Ukraine | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 Education in Ukraine There is nearly 100% literacy in Ukraine.11 years of schooling are mandatory. As a rule, schooling begins at the age of 6..According to Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Volodymyr Lytvyn the amount of budget financing for the sphere of education reached about 6% of Ukraine's GDP in November... |
| United Kingdom | Legal as alternative to the mandatory public school system. | 20,000-100,000 | ███ | 1 Education in the United Kingdom Education in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter with each of the countries of the United Kingdom having separate systems under separate governments: the UK Government is responsible for England, and the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive are... 2 |
| Vatican City | No indication for educational laws to exist were found. | ███ | ||
North America
| Country | Status | Statistics | Map | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | Legal under regulating conditions (Alberta - regulation, British Columbia - registration, Manitoba - permit, Newfoundland - permit, New Brunswick - permit, Northwest Territories - regulation, Nova Scotia - regulation, Ontario - regulation, Prince Edward Island - regulation, Quebec - permit, Saskatchewan - permit, Yukon - regulation) | About 20,000 | ███ | 1 |
| Cuba | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 Education in Cuba Education in Cuba has been a highly ranked system for many years. The University of Havana was founded in 1727 and there are a number of other well-established colleges and universities. Following the 1959 revolution, the Castro government nationalized all educational institutions, and created a... 2 3 |
| El Salvador | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | |
| Greenland | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 2 |
| Guatemala | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 2 |
| Mexico | Legal, compulsory attendance laws unclear. | Unknown | ███ | 1 2 3 Education in Mexico Education in Mexico is regulated by the Secretariat of Public Education . Education standards are set by this Ministry at all levels except in "autonomous" universities chartered by the government... > |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | |
| United-States | Legal under regulating conditions, varies by state. | Around 1 million | ███ | 1 |
| Incomplete list of prominent countries by population, add extra countries on demand. | ||||
South America
| Country | Status | Statistics | Map | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | ███ | |||
| Bolivia | ███ | |||
| Brazil | ███ | |||
| Chile | ███ | |||
| Colombia | Legal. Regulated by the Ministry of Education and the ICFES ICFES ICFES is an acronym for Instituto Colombiano para el Fomento de la Educación Superior . It is a Colombian organization that manages and evaluates the education and Institutes in Colombia... (Colombian Institute for the Promotion of Higher Education). The student would have to present a Public Validation Test and a State Test (Similar to SAT) if he/she wants to go to College. |
N/A | ███ | 1 |
| Ecuador | ███ | |||
| Falkland Islands | ███ | |||
| French Guiana (France) | ███ | |||
| Guyana | ███ | |||
| Paraguay | ███ | |||
| Peru | Prior registration with the Ministerio de Educación is required. | ███ | ||
| SGSSI | ███ | |||
| Suriname | ███ | |||
| Uruguay | ███ | |||
| Venezuela | ███ | |||
Australia
| Country | Status | Statistics | Map | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Asia
| Country | Status | Statistics | Map | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | Legal as alternative to the mandatory public school system. | Unknown | ███ | 1 Education in India Education in India is provided by the public sector as well as the private sector, with control and funding coming from three levels: federal, state, and local. Child education is compulsory. The Nalanda University was the oldest university-system of education in the world... |
|
| Turkey | Illegal, public education is mandatory without known exceptions. | Virtually no homeschooling* | ███ | 1 Education in Turkey Education in Turkey is governed by a national system which was established in accordance with the Atatürk Reforms after the Turkish War of Independence... |
|
Africa
| Country | Status | Statistics | Map | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Botswana | ███ | |||
| Eritrea | ███ | |||
| Ethiopia | ███ | |||
| Kenya | ███ | |||
| Somalia | ███ | |||
| South Africa | Estimated between 30 000 and 100 000 children | ███ | http://www.tuisskolers.org |
South Africa
- Status: Multiple
Homeschooling is legal according to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n national law, but individual provinces have the authority to set their own restrictions.
Argentina
- Status: Legal
There is no law addressing homeschooling in Argentina. It is the parents' responsibility to make sure their child(ren) get an adequate education.
Brazil
- Status: Illegal
A couple, a Brazilian mother and an American father, was investigated in 2010 by the municipal government of Serra Negra
Serra Negra
-External links:...
, São Paulo
São Paulo (state)
São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...
, for homeschooling their children. The local authorities were tipped off by an anonymous source because the couples's two daughters did not attend school. The Public Ministry
Public Ministry (Brazil)
The Public Ministry is the Brazilian body of independent public prosecutors, working both at the federal and state level. It operates independently from the three branches of government, and was referred to by Constitutional scholar Michel Temer as the "Fourth Branch".There are three levels of...
expected to reach an agreement with the family to enlist the infants in formal schools. Enrollment in schools in Brazil is mandatory for people aged 4–17.
Canada
- Status: Legal
Approximately 1% to 2% of North American children are homeschooled, which includes about 60,000 in Canada. Back in 1995, Meighan estimated the total number of homeschoolers in Canada, to be 10,000 official and 20,000 unofficial. Karl M. Bunday estimated, in 1995, based on journalistic reports, that about 1 percent of school-age children were homeschooled. In April 2005, the total number of registered homeschool students in British Columbia was 3,068. In Manitoba, homeschoolers are required to register with Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth. The number of homeschoolers is noted at over 1,500 in 2006; 0.5% of students enrolled in the public system.
United States
- Status: Legal
In "The Condition of Education 2000-2009," The National Center for Education Statistics of the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
reports that In 2007, the number of homeschooled students was about 1.5 million, an increase from 850,000 in 1999 and 1.1 million in 2003. The percentage of the school-age population that was homeschooled increased from 1.7 percent in 1999 to 2.9 percent in 2007. The increase in the percentage of homeschooled students from 1999 to 2007 represents a 74 percent relative increase over the 8-year period and a 36 percent relative increase since 2003. In 2007, the majority of homeschooled students received all of their education at home (84 percent), but some attended school up to 25 hours per week.
People's Republic of China
- Status: Deemed illegal for citizens, but no restrictions for foreign students.
There are no accurate statistics on homeschooling in the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
.
The Compulsory Education Law states that the community, schools and families shall safeguard the right to compulsory education of school-age children and adolescents, and, compulsory education is defined as attending a school, which is holding a schooling licence granted by the government. Therefore, homeschooling is deemed to be illegal. The law does not apply to non-citizen children (those with foreign passports).
However, due to the large population of hundreds of millions of migration workers, alongside with their children, it rarely happens that the government inspects if a child is attending a licensed school or not. Thus there usually is no punishment to parents who homeschool their children.
It should be noted that in many cases children are unable to attend school due to economic difficulties, as compulsory education offered by local governments is not always free.
An organization called Shanghai Home-School Association was launched in September 2003.
Hong Kong
- Status: Illegal
Attendance at school is compulsory and free for students aged six to fifteen in Hong Kong. Parents who fail to send their children to school can be jailed for 3 months and fined HK$10000. In 2000, a man named Leung Jigwong (梁志光) disagreed with Hong Kong's education policy and refused to send his 9-year-old daughter to school. Instead, he taught her Chinese, English, French, Mathematics and The Art of War
The Art of War
The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise that is attributed to Sun Tzu , a high ranking military general and strategist during the late Spring and Autumn period...
at home. After 2.5 years of discussion, the Education Department finally served an "attendance order" on him and his child was required to attend a normal school.
Japan
The legal position is complex; as homeschooling is uncommon, local officials may claim it is illegal but this is not actually the case. Over 100,000 children refuseHikikomori
is a Japanese term to refer to the phenomenon of reclusive people who have chosen to withdraw from social life, often seeking extreme degrees of isolation and confinement because of various personal and social factors in their lives...
school, but the number of homeschoolers is much smaller, though it is increasing.
Indonesia
- Status: Legal
Homeschooling in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
is regulated under National Education System 2003 under division of informal education. This enables the children of Homeschooling to attend an equal National Tests to obtain an "Equivalent Certificate". The homeschooling is recently becoming a trend in upper-middle to upper class families with highly educated parents with capability to provide better tutoring or expatriate families living far away from International School.
Since 2007 the Indonesia's National Education Department took efforts in providing Training for Homeschooling Tutors and Learning Media even though the existence of this community is still disputed by other Non Formal education operators.
school.
Republic of China (Taiwan)
- Status: Legal
Homeschooling in Taiwan, Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
is legally recognized since 1982 and regulated as a possible form of special education since 1997.
Austria
- Status: Legal
Homeschooling is legal in Austria. However, every homeschooled child is required to take an exam, administered four times per year, to ensure that he or she is being educated at an appropriate level. If the child fails the test, he or she must attend a state school the following year.
Belgium
- Status: Legal
Children have to be registered as home-educated. In Wallonia, the French-speaking part of the country, they are tested at 8, 10, 12, and 14.
The tests are new and there is still a lot of confusion on the tests and the legal situation around them. In Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of the country, the law is different: the tests are optional.
Croatia
- Status: Illegal
Home education was legal in Croatia in 1874 when Croatian law stated that parents have a duty to educate their children either at home or by sending them to school. The child had to pass an exam in a public school at the end of every school year.
The primary education in Croatia is compulsory from the age of six to fifteen and it spans eight grades.
On September 2010 a religious organisation Hrvatska kršćanska koalicija submitted a proposal to change the law so home education would become legal in Croatia. The civil organisation Obrazovanje na drugi način joined in and is now working on its own proposal.
The proposed model is based on Slovenian and Montenegrin model of home education. The child is required to enroll into a local school (public or private) and pass annual exam in certain subjects (mother tongue and math only in lower grades; with addition of foreign language in middle grades and more subjects in higher grades). If the child does not pass all the exams in two attempts, it is ordered to continue the education with regular school attendance. Every year the parents have to notify the school by the end of May that they will be educating their child at home.
Like in the case of Slovenia and Montenegro, the proposed model does not impose any limitation on who can home educate. The parents educating their children at home are not eligible to receive any kind of state help. The schools are free to choose whether they will allow special arrangements with children educated at home (flexi-schooling, the use of school resources, participation in field trips and other school activities, etc.). The Ministry of Education and schools are not required to provide any form of help to parents of children educated at home (teacher guides, worksheets, consultation, etc.).
The proposed model was chosen as it requires minimal change to the existing law and would be possible to implement within the current educational framework. The Croatian Constitution, in the Article 63 paragraph 1, states that parents have a duty to school their children. Similarly, in the Article 65 paragraph 1, it states that primary schooling is compulsory and free. It is deeply ingrained in Croatian culture that education cannot happen without schooling.
As of July 2011 there are three alternative primary schools in Croatia - one Montessori and two Steiner Waldorf schools. Alternative schools in Croatia are required to follow national curriculum (Article 26 paragraph 1, Article 30).
Czech Republic
Homeschooling has been legal since 2005.
Denmark
- Status:
It follows from § 76 in the Danish constitution that homeschooling is legal.
Finland
- Status: Legal
In Finland homeschooling is legal but unusual. The parents are responsible for the child getting the compulsory education and the advancements are supervised by the home municipality. The parents have the same freedom to make up their own curriculum as the municipalities have regarding the school, only national guiding principles of the curriculum have to be followed.
Choosing homeschooling means that the municipality is not obliged to offer school books, health care at school, free lunches or other privileges prescribed by the law on primary education, but the ministry of education reminds they may be offered. The parents should be informed of the consequences of the choice and the arrangements should be discussed.
France
- Status: Legal
In France, homeschooling is legal and requires the child to be registered with two authorities, the 'Inspection Académique' and the local town hall (Mairie). Children between the ages of 6 and 16 who are not enrolled in recognized correspondence courses are subject to annual inspection.
The inspection is carried out to check that the child's knowledge has progressed as a comparison from the previous inspection; sometimes it involves written tests, though those are illegal, in both French and Mathematics, the first of which is used as a benchmark to check what level the child is. The tests are carried out with the anticipation that the child will progress in ability as she/he ages, thus they are designed to measure development with age, rather than as a comparison to say a school child of a similar age.
Germany
- Status: Illegal
Homeschooling is illegal in Germany with rare exceptions. The requirement to attend school has been upheld, on challenge from parents, by the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany
Federal Constitutional Court of Germany
The Federal Constitutional Court is a special court established by the Grundgesetz, the German basic law...
. Parents violating the law have primarily or most prominently been Christians seeking a more religious education than that offered by the schools. Sanctions against these parents have included fines of thousands of euros, successful legal actions to remove children from the parents' custody, and prison sentences. It has been estimated that 600 to 1,000 German children are homeschooled, despite its illegality.
In a legal case commenced in 2003 at the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
, a homeschooling
Homeschooling
Homeschooling or homeschool is the education of children at home, typically by parents but sometimes by tutors, rather than in other formal settings of public or private school...
parent couple argued on behalf of their children that Germany's compulsory school attendance endangered their children's religious upbringing, promoted teaching inconsistent with their Christian faith–-especially the German State's mandates relating to sex education in the schools--and contravened the declaration in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union
Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union
The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union enshrines certain political, social, and economic rights for European Union citizens and residents, into EU law. It was drafted by the European Convention and solemnly proclaimed on 7 December 2000 by the European Parliament, the Council of...
that "the State shall respect the right of parents to ensure education and teaching is in conformity with their own religious and philosophical convictions".
In September 2006, the European Court of Human Rights upheld the German ban on homeschooling, stating "parents may not refuse... [compulsory schooling] on the basis of their convictions", and adding that the right to education "calls for regulation by the State". The European Court took the position that the plaintiffs were the children, not their parents, and declared "children are unable to foresee the consequences of their parents' decision for home education because of their young age.... Schools represent society, and it is in the children's interest to become part of that society. The parents' right to educate does not go as far as to deprive their children of that experience."
The European Court endorsed a "carefully reasoned" decision of the German court concerning "the general interest of society to avoid the emergence of parallel societies based on separate philosophical convictions and the importance of integrating minorities into society."
In January 2010, a United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
immigration judge granted asylum
Asylum in the United States
The United States honors the right of asylum of individuals as specified by international and federal law. A specified number of legally defined refugees, who apply for asylum either overseas or after arriving in the U.S., are admitted annually. Refugees compose about one-tenth of the total...
to a German homeschooling family, apparently based on this ban on homeschooling.
Hungary
- Status: Legal
The Hungarian laws allow homeschoolers to teach their children as private students at home as long as they generally follow the state curriculum and have children examined twice a year. Although homeschooling is still extremely rare.
Republic of Ireland
- Status: Legal
From 2004 to 2006, 225 children had been officially registered with the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
's National Education Welfare Board, which estimated there may be as many as 1500–2000 more unregistered homeschoolers. The right to a home education is guaranteed by the Constitution of Ireland
Constitution of Ireland
The Constitution of Ireland is the fundamental law of the Irish state. The constitution falls broadly within the liberal democratic tradition. It establishes an independent state based on a system of representative democracy and guarantees certain fundamental rights, along with a popularly elected...
.
Italy
- Status: Legal
In Italy, homeschooling (called Istruzione parentale in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
) is legal but not common: children must be registered to the school where they will take their final exams, and parents must justify their decision to homeschool their children at the beginning of every year.
Netherlands
In the Netherlands every child is subject to compulsory education from his/her fifth birthday. The exemptions are extended on the basis of a clause in the law exempting parents from sending their child to school if they object to the "direction" of the education of all schools within a reasonable distance to their home.
Poland
- Status: Legal
Homeschooling is only allowed on highly regulated terms. Every child must be enrolled in a school (as of 2009, the school does not need to be a public school). The school principal may, but is not obliged to, allow of homeschooling a particular child. Homeschooled children are required to pass annual exams covering material in school curriculum, and failure on an exam automatically terminates the homeschooling permit.
Russia
- Status: Legal
The number of homeschoolers in Russia has tripled since 1994 to approximately 1 million. Russian homeschoolers are attached to an educational institution where they have the right to access textbooks and teacher support, and where they pass periodic appraisals of their work. The State is obliged to pay the parents cash equal to the cost of educating the child at the municipal school.
Slovenia
- Status: Legal
Home education (slo. izobraževanje na domu) is legal in Slovenia since 1996. The law regarding home education has not been changed since then. It is almost identical to Montenegrin model of home education. According to Slovenian Ministry of Education it was based on Danish model of home education.
The compulsory school-age starts at 6 and lasts for 9 years ( Page 18(8666) Article 45). The child being home educated is required to enroll into a local school (public or private) and pass annual exam in certain subjects (mother tongue and math only in lower grades; with addition of foreign language in middle grades and more subjects in higher grades, Page 22(8670) Article 90). If the child does not pass all the exams in two attempts, it is ordered to continue the education with regular school attendance. Every year the parents have to notify the school by the end of May that they will be home educating their child.
There are no special requirements for parents wanting to home educate their children. Parents are not eligible for any kind of state help nor are schools required to provide any kind of assistance. The schools are free to choose (they often do) whether they will allow special arrangements with home educated children (flexi-schooling, the use of school resources, participation in field trips and other school activities, etc.). The Ministry of Education and schools are not required to provide any form of help to parents of home educated children (teacher guides, worksheets, consultation, etc.).
In the school year 2010/2011 97 children have been home educated.
As of July 2011 there are no organised home education groups in Slovenia.
Slovak Republic
Homeschooling is legal with obstacles in Slovak Republic. Child's tutor is required to have a degree with major in primary school education.
Spain
- Status: Illegal
According to the recent decision of the Spanish Constitutional Court (STC 133/2010, of 2 December)http://www.tribunalconstitucional.es/es/jurisprudencia/Paginas/Sentencia.aspx?cod=10041 there is in Spain mandatory school attendance (Sec. 4.2 Organic Law on Education 2/2006, of 3 May)http://www.boe.es/aeboe/consultas/bases_datos/doc.php?id=BOE-A-2006-7899, and no lack of regulation of homeschooling. Therefore Homeschooling may be regarded illegal by the law and is not granted by the constitutional right of parents to choose the moral and religious education of their preference for their children. The regional government of Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
announced in the article 55 of its 2009 education law the right of "education without attendance to school". However the regulation of that right hasn't yet been developed. As far as it could not contradict education law passed by the national parliament, this right of catalonian law could only refer to the pupils that cannot attend regularly to school, that may have a special attention and help in order to grant them their education right (Sec. 3.9 Organic Law on Education 2/2006)http://www.boe.es/aeboe/consultas/bases_datos/doc.php?id=BOE-A-2006-7899.
Sweden
- Status: Rarely allowed
Children have to attend school from the age of 7. Homeschooling as an afterschool activity is allowed when attending school.
It is not technically illegal. It is, however, very difficult to get approved by the county in which one lives. Stockholm is in general more difficult to get approval than elsewhere in the country. Sweden has 2010 approved a law (SFS 2010:800) that restricts homeschooling even further, requiring special reasons, like foreign parents temporarily working in Sweden, but not religious beliefs. A recent court case has supported restrictions on parents, even those with teacher-training, to educate their own child.
Switzerland
- Status: Legal
Requirements vary from Canton to Canton. Over 200 families currently homeschool
Turkey
- Status: Illegal
In the Republic of Turkey, all children are required to be registered in state or private school so as to be in compliance with the National Education Basic Law (No. 1739, 06-14-1973, Article 22). Distance education is also available through Turkey's national television channels. Through this particular option, students go to a particular test site and take examinations based on what they have studied. In Turkey, parents who fail to send their children to school are charged as criminals, which at times may result in their incarceration. Due to the above legal constraints, Turkish parents face a great deal of difficulty in pursuing homeschooling for their children.
Ukraine
- Status: Disputed
The Home School Legal Defense Association claims that homeschooling is legal and expressly allowed for in Ukraine’s Education Law, but local authorities do not always agree.
Homeschooling is mentioned swiftly in The Law of Ukraine on Education, article 59:
Parents and persons who substitute them shall be obliged to assist children to get education in educational institutions or provide them with full-value home education in accordance with the requirements to its content, level and scope.
United Kingdom
England and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
have their own education laws each with slight variations regarding education otherwise than at school.)
Education provided outside a formal school system is primarily known as Home Education within the United Kingdom, the term Homeschooling is occasionally used for those following a formal, structured style of education – literally schooling at home. To distinguish between those who are educated outside of school from necessity (e.g. from ill health, or a working child actor) and those who actively reject schooling as a suitable means of education the term Elective Home Education is used.
The Badman Review
Badman Review
The Badman Review, also known as the Review into Elective Home Education in England, was conducted by Graham Badman the former Director of Children's Services at Kent County Council....
in 2009 stated that "approximately 20,000 home educated children and young people are known to local authorities, estimates vary as to the real number which could be in excess of 80,000."
Australia
- Status: Legal
The Australian census does not track homeschooling families, but Philip Strange of Home Education Association, Inc. very roughly estimates 15,000.
In 1995, Roland Meighan of Nottingham School of Education estimated some 20,000 families homeschooling in Australia.
In 2006, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
passed legislation requiring the registration of children up to the age of 16 and increasing the school leaving age to 16 from the previous 15, undertaking home education (registration is optional for those age of 16–17 but highly recommended). The Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) is the registering body.
New Zealand
- Status: Legal
Karl M. Bunday cites the New Zealand TV program "Sixty Minutes" (unrelated to the U.S. program), as stating in 1996 that there were 7,000 school-age children being homeschooled. Philip Strange of the Australian Home Education Association Inc. quotes "5274 registered home educated students in 3001 families" in 1998 from the New Zealand Ministry of Education.
See also
- HomeschoolingHomeschoolingHomeschooling or homeschool is the education of children at home, typically by parents but sometimes by tutors, rather than in other formal settings of public or private school...
- Home School Legal Defense AssociationHome School Legal Defense AssociationThe Home School Legal Defense Association is a United States-based "nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms."...
- Schoolhouse Home Education AssociationSchoolhouse Home Education AssociationSchoolhouse Home Education Association, more commonly referred to as Schoolhouse, is a charity based in Scotland which provides support and information to parents about Home education in Scotland....