What you need to know about homeschooling your child
Here is how you can homeschool your child in a way that conforms with the law of South Africa.
Homeschooling in South Africa was made legal in 1996.
According to the SA Homeschoolers Organisation, there are no accurate figures on the number of home learners.
The Department of Education states that the number of pupils being homeschooled is still very low.
However, COVID-19 exposed many learners to the realities of remote learning.
In 2020, Angie Motshekge, who was then the Basic Education Minister, said homeschooling was an option for anxious parents.
“If you still feel anxious and doubtful, it's understandable that you can't send your child to school. But that can't determine the future of every child. If you decide not to school. The South African Schools Act allows you to homeschool but you have to register your child as homeschooling, you have to give your province the plan so they can supply you with the curriculum and exam plans," Motshekga said.
The first step in homeschooling is to:
- Apply to the head of your Provincial Education Department to register your child for Home Education. This is because the lesson you offer your child must fall within the scope of the following compulsory phases of education. Please note that the application is free of charge.
- The registration will take up to thirty days to be processed.
- According to the Department of Education, you will need to provide the following:
- parent/s certified ID copy
- In case of foreign nationals certified copies of passport /study permit/work permit/Asylum document is required
- last copy of school report (if the child was in school before, but if the child is only starting school now you must attach an immunisation card)
- weekly timetable which includes contact time per day
- breakdown of terms per year (196 days per year)
- learning programme
- certified copy of child’s birth certificate.
There are many homeschooling curriculums available, but it is important for parents to do research and choose the curriculum that best meets their needs.
Some of the popular curriculums are Accelerated Christian Education, Love2Learn, Impak, Brainline/Breinlyn, Nukleus, Kenweb, and Clonard.
Homeschooling can be done until Grade 12.
Pupils can take exams online, at a tutoring centre or go to a school that offers the same curriculum the child is learning at home.
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