On 20 May 2004 Ms. Mmule Madonsela, a senior education official in Gauteng, informed homeschooling parents that : “Education is a political game”. Every year, with the announcement of the matric results, this statement is confirmed again and again. Since 2008, the national matric pass rate has increased from 62.5% to 78.2%. If the matric pass rate is an indicator of the performance of the education system, it means that the...

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) promulgated a policy on home education that attempts to monitor home learners by requiring them to be regularly assessed by competent assessors. Assessment results must be evaluated by the DBE to take remedial actions when results do not meet minimum requirements. The stated intention of this monitoring is to avoid that home learners fall through the cracks. Although the stated intention seems noble, closer examination reveals...