Follow-up letter from Joy Leavesley to MEC Debbie Schafer after receiving a reply from the MEC.

A letter from a homeschooling mother, Joy Leavesley, to the MEC of Basic Education in the Western Cape, Hon. Debbie Schafer.

A supplementary formal request for information on the approved Home Education Policy to the Department of Basic Education in terms of PAIA.

A formal request for information on the approved Home Education Policy to the Department of Basic Education in terms of PAIA.

The Department of Basic Education has labeled hundreds of home educators who called in and e-mailed the Education Ministry, “spammers”, claiming “that a small grouping is opposed to the policy and has been spamming
departmental officials...”. The Pestalozzi Trust issues a media release on the insulting remarks by the minister.

Media release about approval of Home Education policy by the Council of Education Ministers (CEM) on 30 July 2018.

Leif and Terese Kristiansen and their son Kai recently moved from Canada to Norway in search of new opportunities. They placed the 12-year-old Kai in the local public school, but unfortunately he became the victim of merciless bullying. School officials did not resolve the situation. To protect Kai’s fundamental rights to dignity and personal security, his parents did the responsible and loving thing: they removed him from school and immediately began to homeschool him. By choosing to homeschool their son, the Kristiansens did what was obviously in the best interest of their child. On Thursday, February 9, 12-year-old Kai was hunted down and then tackled in the snow by Barnevernet agents and police. In this letter the Pestalozzi Trust urges the Norwegian Government to return Kai to his parents.

Revised submission with comments on the proposed Draft Home Education Policy by the Eastern Cape Homeschooling Association. Submitted on 31 January 2018.

Second submission with comments on the Basic Education Law Amendment (BELA) Bill by the Pestalozzi Trust. Submitted on 10 January 2018.

Submission with comments on the proposed Draft Home Education Policy by the Association for Homeschooling. Submitted on 8 December 2017.

Submission with comments on the proposed Draft Home Education Policy by the Eastern Cape Homeschooling Association. Submitted on 8 December 2017.

Submission with comments on the proposed Draft Home Education Policy by the Cape Home Educators. Submitted on 8 December 2017.

Submission with comments on the proposed Draft Home Education Policy by the Pestalozzi Trust. Submitted on 8 December 2017.

Submission with comments on the Basic Education Law Amendment (BELA) Bill by the Gauteng Association for Homeschooling. Submitted on 7 November 2017.

Submission with comments on the Basic Education Law Amendment (BELA) Bill by the Association for Homeschooling. Submitted on 10 November 2017.

Submission with comments on the Basic Education Law Amendment (BELA) Bill by the Eastern Cape Homeschool Association Submitted on 10 November 2017.

Submission with comments on the Basic Education Law Amendment (BELA) Bill by the Cape Home Educators. Submitted on 10 November 2017.

Submission with comments on the Basic Education Law Amendment (BELA) Bill by the Pestalozzi Trust. Submitted on 10 November 2017.

The Pestalozzi Trust, requests an extension of time for comment on the proposed draft Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill, not only for the trust but for all other Interested and Affected Parties. Reasons for an extension include: home educators have been procedurally prejudiced by lack of prior notice; the prescribed comment period (October-November) is a period of preparation for and taking of exams for home educating families; the need for detailed consultation with our members before responding; the impacts of the proposed changes are not merely technical, but may have multiple complex substantive financial, curricular, time, and legal impacts on home educating families and their supporting and representative organisations; the changes do not merely edit elements of the previous law but include entirely new provisions; many consequences thereof that may be unintended by the authors of the proposal bill and if not remedied may lead to unnecessary litigation which is neither in the interests of the Department of Basic Education, home educators nor any other party; we and other organisations will need to take legal counsel on constitutional and other issues after consulting our members. The 15th December to 15th January festive season should be excluded from the consultation period, in accordance with government policy. We thus request the comment deadline for all parties be extended to the 15 February 2018. We would be most appreciative if this request for an extension of the closing date for comments could receive your urgent consideration and that you communicate your decision to us within 7 (seven) working days.

Letter from the Pestalozzi Trust to minister Donald Grant , minister of education in the Western Cape, about the proposed homeschooling policy of the Western Cape province in 2014.