TEACH earn Thorough Education Achieved in a Caring Home I Number 12 January 1998 submissions made to this review g Education Legislation panel came from home educating t5 individuals and organisations (1 1 Amendment Bill a Concern as far as 1 ascertain). That I ~emesentsa hi& level of mlitical This Bill, if passed into law, will child and the learning envimn- involvement ihea you consider have an impact on the future of ment (our private homes) be in- home educated children make up home education in New Zealand. spected as part of the review pro- barely 1% of the school-aged pop- As many readers as possible must cess to ensure they are safe and ulation. In italics below is the make submissions on this Bill to secure. This seemed to be outside fllmmary comments of the panel the Science and Education Select the parameters of the Act which regdg home education (from Committee who are at present re- simply says that the child must be Austin Panel's report "Achieving viewing it. Relevant pahs of this "taught at least as regularly and Excellence": Bill and the Education Act plus well as in a registered school". commentary were included in the ~tro"~submissions were made by "Stop Press" of the TEACH Bul- The ERO itself was the subject of home schoolers that the current letin, Number 11 of November a Government review between restriction on access to private 1997 (if you would like more July and October 1997, by an in- homes should be retained. This copies, free of charge, please con- dependent panel of experts headed has the disadvantage ofprevent- tact the editor, or just photocopy by the Hon. Margaret Austin, a ing reviewers from observing the them yourself). CHomeS & past Labour MP. Their report was educational programme being TEACH members will be receiv- just recently published. It is en- provided unless access is volun- ing copies of a Government book- couraging to note that 4% of the (Continued on page 2) let on how to make a submission. Please share this information amund. Maharey to Invade Homes To help with the submission, there Steve Maharey, Labonr's social statistical information on the situ- follows some background to this welfare spokesperson, is drafting ation of children, parricularly Amendment Bill: a bill to enshrine children's rights those belonging to the most vul- in line with the United Nations nerable groups. Current informa- In Januaty of 1997 the Rl. Hon. Convention on the Rights of the tion is woefully inadequate." Brian DoMelly, Minister in Child. Mr Maharey said New Charge of the ERO, issued a state- Zealand's laws had come under Mr Maharey will present his bill ment that the Government would criticism from the United Nations for Caucus appmval, and it will re-institute the raiews which had for not conforming with the Con- then be placed in the ballot for been stopped by the previous Min- vention. "Children's issues have members' bills. ister of Education, the Rl. Hon. been ignored for too long. My Lockwood Smith, in 1994 because member's bill will do something Mr Maharey offers untested ideol- he could no longer justify the ex- this Government for reasons of its ogy: he equates spanking with pense. The re-institution of re- own, has refused to do and that is violence, saying physical force is views of home educators was one enshrine children's rights in law used against children as punish- of the items the NZ First Party in line with the UN Convention." ment, when virtually all of us par- took into the coalition talks with ents know we must consistently National in order to form a Gw- An example of an area where the use physical force to ensure their ernment. The Coalition Govern- Government has breached the very survival around open hs, ment was formed, and when the Convention is the current Crimes busy mads, swimming pools, etc. budget came out on 26 June 1997, Act. "Section 59 authorises the The most vulnerable groups? it contained the provision of use of physical force against chil- Home educated children, of $1.4M specifically for the review dren as punishment within the course, who are kept away fiom of all home educators over the family. It is abhorrent that gov- the watchful eyes and probing next three years. One thing that ernment legislation actually con- classroom "discussions" of school concerned this writer was Mr dones violence. My bill will alio teachers and other public servants. DoMelly'S insistence that the require the Government to collect TEACH Bulletin Page 1 January 1998 (Conannedfrom pose I) as well as submit to a review as teered by parents. It can also well as sign a statutory declaration mean that there is no access to the twice a year in addition to the student which is more serious. extensive information supplied in While the Panel accepts the prohi- our initial exemption applications. bition on entry without coiisent to Is this a problem? Some home private dwellirtgs, tl~evim was educators will have problems with formed that, iw the interests of the every bit of it, others will have no student, entry should not be de- problems will1 any of it. That's nied without valid reason. A re- just the way home educators are viewer is, however, entitled under and probably always will be. s,327(b)(ii)and (d) and (e) to meet with, inspect the work of; and So what next? The ERO has make copies of any work docu- prepared a very helpful protocol ments of a student. The Panel when approaching a home educat- believes that the Minishy should ing family. First they send out a continue to require home school- letter requesting a review at a ers to provide documented evi- specified date and time...the place dence of curriculum provision is your home. If you are unhappy through their annual written re- with any of those, yon can negoti- ports on specified areas of howl- ate something different. Please edge. note the ERO acknowledges that the review DOES NOT have to The panel also made two recom- take place in your home, although mendations to the Government re- that is their clear preference garding the review process of (This writer has reservations home educators. They appear be- about allowing ERO officers into low with the Government's re- our homes and thus setting a sponses (dated 4/12/97): precedent for future years.) There is a postage-paid reply card en- Recommendation 42: That home closed for your convenience. Also schooling caregivers be reviewed enclosed is a brochure explaining on an ongoing basis and continue the ERO code of conduct. There lo be required lo provide a written is a list of questions they will ask annual report to the Minisby of you as parents. There is a list of Educalion as the exempting au- questions they want to ask the thority. children, only in your presence, of Government Reswnse: Endorse course. This is all very helpful, reviewing homeschooling on an and allows us to be perf* pre- on-going basis. However, the pared. They will want to see your need for a written annual report is current exemption certificate and being discussed by ERO and the the original exemption application Ministry of Education. fom, now called an "infonnation statement". This is to be used as a Recommendation 43: That the basis for the review ....to see that Education Review Office prepare you are doing as you said to the pmtoools for the audit of home MOE you would bc doing. This schooling providers, including ac- seems to be using it in the fashion cess to the learner and the leam- of a de facto school charter Be- ing environment, where care- ware. Fortunately the MOE and givers are willing to give access the ERO both realise that parents and make them available to those will change what they do due to included in the review each year. the developing understanding of Government Rmnse: ERO has the nature of the educational task. developed protocols for home- As long as you can explain clearly schooling reviews and has begun what you do, and demonstrate that training reviewers in Ule~n. COIU- you cover a reasonable range of tnunication with ho~neschooling subjects, you should be OK. pmviders is underway. What if you decide you do not As you can see, we may yet be want to be reviewed at all by the required to submit written reports' (Conhnued on page 3) TEACH Bulletin January 1998 (Continuedfrompage 2) February. (You need to send 20 subcommittee, Jill, Jane, Chris, ERO. Simply tell that to the ERO. copies.) One of the problems to be Mike and Lennie. Their response will be to recom- overcome is that those on the com- mend to the MOE that your ex- mittee are not likely to know much We still managed to get plenty of emption certificate be revoked. about home education as it really talking done in between our busy That's not being mean, that is is, but probably have all kinds of programme schedule. The meet- simply doing their job. So before inaccurate preconceptions. Part of ing with Tony Cross of the ERO it comes to that I would suggest the job of lobbying government is on Friday evening proved very that you contact the MOE, explain educating MPs about home educa- necessary and very fruitful; it es- that you do not want to deal with tion. Perhaps you or your support tablished the beginnings of an un- the ERO, and that you would like group would lie to meet with derstanding between ERO to deal directly with the MOE your MP or one of the Select Com- Wellington and us.