According to the Tages Anzeiger, one of the most widely read newspapers in Switzerland, homeschooling is about to become severely restricted in the Canton of Zurich.
Private Education: Parents threaten with disobedience
December 4, 2008
Beginning next summer at the latest, parents will only be allowed to educated their children at home when they have a teacher’s certificate. Eight families are resisting–with all means. Tages Anzeiger
The article goes on to say that this new regulation will affect fifty families, but apparently only these eight families have chosen to fight. The Education Director has thus far rejected all offers of compromise. If they continue and do not win their cases, the families face fines of up to 5000 Francs (about $4,100) and a possible citation for disobedience of official orders.
The family alone is not sufficient for children
Of course, child psychologists and education experts weigh in with their thoughts…I think perhaps the same forumla for home education articles here exists in Switzerland. From the obligatory expert, Professor Georg Stöckli of the Education Institute of the University of Zürich:
Children from early on have an urge to separate themselves from their parents. One should not hinder them in this . . . The family alone is not enough to satisfy the social needs of the children. Ibid.
This of course assumes that the homeschooling family acts as a prison to the child, an oft cited and as of yet unsubstantiated concern of homeschool critcs.
Appeals are currently being made, but success is considered unlikely.
“The text of the law does not allow for any wiggle room for interpretation,” said Martin Wendelspiess, head of the Office of Elementary Education. He rejects the accusation that he refused discussion: Extensive correspondence with parents was made. But exceptions and compromises are not allowed for in the law. “Therefore it makes no sense to discuss variations which are not possible under the law.” Ibid.
About home education in Switzerland
Home education laws vary from Canton to Canton in Switerland, with a nice summary available at cruxmove.com. According to the Code Civile Suisse of December 10, 1907, the responsibility of ensuring a child receives an education is put on the parents who are to assure the physical, intellectual and moral well-being of the the child. Interpretation of this varies at the local level with two cantons outlawing homeschooling altogether. Various restrictions are in place in other Cantons, with some quite lenient.
Some History
Prior to this regulation, home education was freely permitted with local authorities checking the progress of homeschools once or twice per year. An attempt was made in 2002 to drastically change the Education Law of Zurich with the following provisions:
§ 67. Private schools should teach the same world view as taught in public schools.
§ 68. If private schooling exceeds one year, the teacher should have a teachers education.
§ 69. The education board will evaluate if the private schooling is meeting the teaching goals.
It was considered too far-reaching, however, and many public educators opposed it as well. The law failed, but apparently the desire to require home educating parents to receive a teaching certificate remained and recently passed as part of the Canton’s new education law.
Hat Tip: Homeschool Association of Switzrland
homeschool homeschooling home education homeschooling in Switzerland
I am betting this “expert” has no children!!! Thanks for the article!!
Poor Swiss.
Oh, heck. Does this mean we have to boycott Toblerone? I can live without Subway, Cheetos and The View, but no Toblerone might be a problem.
Ugh. People. It blows my mind that “experts” can be so misinformed.
…actually, I take that back. I’m not surprised at all that “experts” who have completely detached their myopic studies from real life come to these inane conclusions. This is certainly a flaw of our increased “specialization” without integration or application.
~Luke
Somehow, I bet if even every American homeschooler boycotted Swiss products, it wouldn’t have much effect. I wish there were something that could be done, but hopefully the families there in Switzerland will be able to work together to support one another.
I always wonder that when I read those kinds of statements, Mel. But there is such a misperception about what it is we are even doing. Most of the homeschoolers I know are more independent than their ps counterparts. I think the support at home is important to developing independence.
This is the trend that will happen here in the US if we’re not vigilant. While the state says that parents have certain responsibilities they also are the ones who decide how those responsibilities should be fulfilled, so that eventually all will be conformed to the world view that the state promotes. We should all be thankful for groups like HSLDA who help guard and defend the rights of parents to educate their own children.
Oh my Karen! — so who will be vigilant enough then, to help guard and defend the rights of parents to educate their own children, against the HSLDA Way???
You surely don’t believe that HSLDA itself isn’t pushing a (frighteningly authoritarian and paternalistic!) world view and a certain politicized view of the family and human rights and the subservient role of women and children, and the threatening role of science and progress and individual human achievement, not to mention everything from reproductive choice to school choice to democratic choice, all its own?
Dear readers
The real problem here is not, as one could think, the administrators nor the politicians. The real problems are the people who have adopted – partially under the cover of christianity – a believe-system that allows the state to play God. So it is normal, that children and parents have to bow to this powerful God. The secular humanist credo is to believe in atheistic humanity, their god is the transcended human being which comes forth as an untouchable, holy, not to be disagreed with statist, totalitarian, atheistic governmnetal system.
The Swiss Parental Forum was founded to defend the sate-preceeding, natural parental rights. We will welcome thoughtful support more than powerful americanism – which in the past has caused heavy problems to our neighbours in Germany.