We Germans do place a high values into religious or educational freedom. But our concept is completely different to American ideas. There is a wide consensus among the German society that homeschooling is not wanted because we like to see the childrens right on free information assured. The access to uncensored information is the real educational freedom. On one hand many parents are simply not able to teach their kids due to their own incapability on the other hand it is quite likely that religious extreme parents i.e. deprive their kids the basic information that they need to survive in our society and that they need to think in a free manner. In registered schools certain standards are guaranteed. Parents have the right to give their kids in private schools that meet that standard and also provide i.e. a religious program of their choice. Nevertheless the individual right of the kids on information will always be more important than the collective right of the families on self-determination in Germany.
It might sound quite offensive, but Evangelical Christian parents (that are those who usually try to homeschool kids in Germany from the Christian side) practically do not play a role in our society since they are only very few people. Practically irrelevant. It is unlikely that our laws are changed just because of this handful of Christian homeschoolers since we have to deal with much bigger groups (i.e. the 3.7% muslims in Germany) and their wish to open a parallel society. It would be idiotic to do so, since the outcome of such a policy would be for sure disastrous. Then we are not speaking about the Busekos, Konrad or whatever family anymore, then we are speaking about 500.000 trapped muslim kids that are forced to follow some islamistic cretinism in madrasas (koran-schools) because of a handful of Christian fundamentalists. Christian parents have the possibility into found religious schools that fit into our basic standarts. Then their kids are provided with the basic information the German society considers as nessecary and the beliefs of their parents at the same time. I have no problem with that.
Regards from Germany.
A.B.
In Germany, the students are able to get access to all information and so homeschooling, which might keep them from having this access, is not supported. In the U.S., the students are kept from getting all the information and so the homeschooling parents are pulling their kids out of the schools as a result. Very interesting insight. Thanks.
There is a wide consensus among the German society that homeschooling is not wanted because we like to see the childrens right on free information assured.
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The assumption that Homeschoolers *keep* information from their children is a worn cliche. I actually homeschool so my daughter can *hear and know* both sides. She would NEVER get that in the government indoctrination centers.
In fact, how do you know that the government IS allowing “right to free information”???
Do you really believe that the government is telling you the truth????
Do you really believe that the government is that infallible???