Tuiskkoolleiers van Suid-Afrika, Oekraïne, Filippyne, Mexiko, VSA en Kanada het vanmiddag tydens 'n videokonferensie besluit om tuisskolers wêreldwyd op te roep om op Dinsdag 1 Oktober protes aan te teken teen die Duitse regering, en ek soek nou voorstelle vir beskaafde metodes van protes teen die jongste gruweldaad van die Duitse regering teen tuisskolers.

Die Amerikaners beoog om van regoor die VSA byeen te kom vir 'n optog na die Duitse ambassade in Washington. In die Oekraïne is protesoptogte kultureel/polities onaanvaarbaar, en hulle oorweeg om goot getalle telefoonoproepe aan die Duitse ambassade te rig, aangevul met persoonlike besoeke deur tuisskoolleiers.

HSLDA berig aangaande die ontvoering van die Wunderlich-kinders deur die Duitse regering : "At 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 29, 2013, in what has been called a “brutal and vicious act,” a team of 20 social workers, police officers, and special agents stormed a homeschooling family’s residence near Darmstadt, Germany, forcibly removing all four of the family’s children (ages 7-14). The sole grounds for removal were that the parents, Dirk and Petra Wunderlich, continued to homeschool their children in defiance of a German ban on home education."

Lees hieronder wat tuisskolers in Suid Afrika doen om die Wunderlich gesin te help

Read below what SA Homeschoolers do to help the Wunderlich family

Debbie Lemmer : Skep 'n Facebook groep

Ons het sopas 'n groep op Facebook gestig - "Release the Wunderlich Children". Die doel van die groep is om die veldtog op sosiale media te dryf. Ons sal ook "tweet" en vra dat mense "retweet" - ons vra dus dat soveel mense moontlik die groep "like" op facebook. Jammer vir al die engels wat so verweef is maar ek is nie altyd met al die Afrikaanse terme bekend nie.

Glendon McGill : Translated the eyewitness report by Dirk Wunderlich.

Glendon has translated the eyewitness report of Dirk Wunderlich on what happened on the 29th of August from German to English. This report has been published on Tuisskolers.Org. Click here to read the report.

Paul van Helden : Het 'n brief geskryf aan Russia Today.

Siraj Ghoor sent a message similar to Paul van Helden to a South African acquaintance  who works for Al Jazeera in Doha, Qatar.

Dr Frank Muller : Wrote a letter to the German embassy

Dear Frau Ohl-Meyer

On Thursday, 29 August 2013, the German authorities forcibly and aggressively invaded the home of Dirk and Petra Wunderlich and removed all four of their children into safe (?) custody. Their crime? They insisted on homeschooling their children in defiance of the Nazi-era ban on homeschooling in Germany.

Frau Ohl-Meyer, I do not know if you have any children of your own, but my wife and I have four and we are homeschooling them right here in South Africa, thankfully without fear of intimidation by our government. It would break my heart to have my precious ones stolen by state officials who have no love for my children, only a desire to show their power. Is there no-one in the German government who has a heart for families who wish to do things differently?

I am a second-generation German in South Africa. A number of my ancestors were severely persecuted by the Nazi government (and some even died as a result) because of their opposition to the Reich and its policies. I am ashamed to admit my ancestry in the light of the German authorities' blatant disregard of family integrity. I cannot understand why the present government insists on upholding a law that was proclamated by quite possibly the most evil regime this world has ever known.

Claims that homeschooling would encourage "parallel societies" are ludicrous. South Africa is full of parallel societies. Germany, as it happens, already has a huge "parallel society" in all the Muslim Gastarbeiter who continue to find themselves marginalised at every level of society. Why does the government not rather address the real, existing problem of a massive "parallel society", instead of fighting a perceived danger of a new "parallel society" developing?

Come to think of it, would the German government have done the same to a homeschooling Muslim family? I somehow think not. Which makes me think the German authorities acted cowardly, picking a soft target in order to promote a culture of fear. We saw such cowardly, bullying behaviour before. They wore brown shirts then.

Kind regards,

Dr Frank Muller

Shirley Erwee : Wrote an encouraging message to all homeschooling parents

I've been mulling over this awful news of the Wunderlich family for days.

Firstly, it has made me (like many other homeschoolers) appreciate the freedom that we have to practice home education in SA. We should not take the work that the Pestalozzi Trust does for granted as the watchdog for our freedom, informing us and equipping us to assert our rights.

Secondly, it also reminded me that there was a couple in South Africa, the Meintjies, who were jailed for homeschooling their children in SA in the 90's - and we should not forget that the international community helped then to establish the homeschool freedom that we enjoy today. Our freedom came at a cost to others.

Thirdly, I decided today, that this is news that I MUST share with my children or else I am guilty of cocooning them from the realities of the real world. They too need to appreciate the freedom that they enjoy and realise that it is not a 'given' in other parts of the world. It is a right that we need to actively protect. They need to learn that governments can and do commit awful offences and that we need to be vigilant in standing up for what is right, be it by activism, voting or other means. This is a great life lesson for all of us, sadly at the cost of this precious German family.

I pray that their suffering will not be in vain, but that it will help to blaze the trail to freedom for homeschoolers in Germany.

J Clements : Has created an online Petition

The title of the petition is "Government of Germany: Return the Wunderlich children to their family, and legalise home schooling". Click here to sign the petition. On 25 Sep. 2013 , 259 people have signed this petition.

Martyn Devenier : Het 'n brief aan die ambassade geskryf en die Facebook groep ge-"like"

Ons gesin het 'n protes epos gestuur aan die Duitse Ambassade.  Ons het ook almal in ons Upington tuisskool groep, ingelig oor die gebeure en hul versoek om ook protes aan te teken. Voorts het ons die Facebook groep “Release the Wunderlich Children” ge”like” en die aanlyn petisie (Change.org) onderteken.

Retha Bremer : Wrote a letter to the German Embassy

Dear Frau Ohlmeyr

All research on home education points to this educational method as the most successful compared to any other educational methods.  Scientific studies from many reputable universities shows without doubt that children from home schooled families are superior in academics and socially very well adapted, most times they are very involved in community care and are more likely to contribute to entrepreneurial activities, therefore they tend to be producers, rather than consumers, unlike government school children.

Sadly, Frau Ohlmeyr, no research on this topic is available in Germany, as it is illegal to home school in your country.

Me and my husband have four children, all home schooled. Apart from the toddler, my older three children excel in their unique talents, thanks to home education.  My husband is the son of a German orphan child.  Now I know that it was the will of God to sent my father in law to South Africa, where his grandchildren have the freedom of choice in their education.

This persecution is the same spirit that developed in the very ugly and tragic events which is still witnessed in the monuments of Auschwitz and Bergen -Belsen and the like.  Please stop this before this ends into the massacre of the minds and creative spirit that characterizes an emotionally healthy nation.

Kind regards

Retha Bremer

-------------------- Retha Bremer Received a reponse from the German embassy -------------------------

Dear Mrs Bremer,

Thank you very much for your query regarding home schooling in Germany. On behalf of the German Embassy Pretoria, I would like to respond to it as follows:

Home schooling is generally not permitted in Germany. According to Article 7, Section 1 of the German Basic Law, the entire education system is placed under state supervision. From it follows a comprehensive responsibility of the state for schools and education, which is  substantiated by compulsory school attendance.

The basic idea behind compulsory schooling is that collaborative learning is essential for imparting social skills. In addition, schools are the best place for being exposed to different views and ideas, which is the foundation of a democratic society. The legal provisions and motives for compulsory schooling in Germany have been confirmed by the courts at domestic and European level.

Kind regards,

Friedrich Schröder

Erster Sekretär/First Secretary

Annamarie Quass : Wrote a letter to the German Embassy

Dear Mr. Schröder,

Regarding the case of the Wunderlich family I would like to add the following:

I understand that according to Article 7, Section 1 of the German Basic Law, the education system is  placed under state supervision.  I do not question the existence or the validity of this law, but rather the interpretation and extent of it.

I agree with compulsory education and even that the state can supervise it, but parents can choose where and by whom such education is provided (and homeschool) and stay in the spirit of a compulsory education law.

The basic idea that collaborative learning in schools is essential for imparting social skills is a mere opinion at best and incorrect at worst.  The exceptional development of homeschooled children's social skills has been proven in many countries in various research studies.

Furthermore are schools not the best place for being exposed to different views and ideas if those views and ideas are controlled by the state. This focus  proves that the intention of compulsory schooling is no longer education, but social indoctrination. I believe this is the only reason that the Wunderlich family is being forced to return their children to public school as the children are, by all accounts, well cared for, well adjusted and well educated.

The way this law was enforced in the Wunderlich case means that the state can, by extension, remove children of parents that have different ideas and views from the state to ensure that the said social indoctrination is fulfilled.  History has proven that social manipulation of children does not lead to free, prosperous democracies.

I would like to strongly urge the German authorities to consider homeschooling in the context of the intention of their education laws.  Today many countries are benefiting from the high quality education that homeschooling provides and the socially aware, involved citizens that it produces.

Kind Regards,

Annamarie Quass

Marlize Keyter : Wrote a letter to the German Embassy

As a mother, as a South African citizen from German decent and actually quite proud of it, I was shocked beyond measure with the German  authorities latest conduct against the Wunderlich-family.

Children are born to parents, not to a government and should be raised by the parents as they see fit and proper for their children withou being hindered in their upbringing of their children. It is one of the basic rights that a child have - to be raised by his or her parents.

I always thought the Germans to be reasonable people with a certain amount of pride, but this event roused doubt.

As parents we decide on what food our children should eat and that is what we buy, cook and present to them. We, the parents decide what they should wear (especially younger children) and that is what we buy. In this much the government trust the parents to do the best for the child as well as for society, why would parents do something else when they decide to homeschool? Unless the government has a hidden agenda of forcing unacceptable stuff into our children's minds?

No amount of laws, red tape, officials or co-workers will ever be able to replace the love parents have for their children. Just think for small moment of your own parents (or lack thereof) and how you felt as a small child.

I realize that Germany see homeschooling as something to get rid of, but the bizar way of trying to achieve an un-homeschooling state is not acting within human rights.

Regards

Marelize Keyter

-------------------- Marelize Keyter Received a reponse from the German embassy -------------------------

Dear Mrs Keyter,

Thank you very much for your query regarding home schooling in Germany. On behalf of the German Embassy Pretoria, I would like to respond to it as follows:

Home schooling is generally not permitted in Germany. According to Article 7, Section 1 of the German Basic Law, the entire education system is placed under state supervision. From it follows a comprehensive responsibility of the state for schools and education, which is substantiated by compulsory school attendance.

The basic idea behind compulsory schooling is that collaborative learning is essential for imparting social skills. In addition, schools are the best place for being exposed to different views and ideas, which is the foundation of a democratic society. The legal provisions and motives for compulsory schooling in Germany have been confirmed by the courts at domestic and European level.

Kind regards,

Friedrich Schröder

Erster Sekretär/First Secretary

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