Can such children – vulnerable as they sound – ever prove to be a threat? The fear of creation of a parallel society is the reason that governments of various nations quote for banishing homeschooling by law. One such country is Germany where the illegal status of homeschooling recently led Uwe and Hannelore Romeike to leave their home country – with their five children – and seek political asylum in USA through Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA: A US-based non profit organisation dedicated to this cause for over 25 years). Mike Donnelley, Staff Attorney, HSLDA, reveals, “Homeschoolers in Germany are fined many thousands of dollars, criminally prosecuted or have their children possibly taken from them. The govt. claims that they have ‘an interest in stamping out parallel societies.’ They say that the state has an equal responsibility in raising children and that schools are necessary in order to bring children up with the "democratic values" of the new German state.”
In India, there are no specific diktats on homeschooling, apart from the “free and compulsory education for all” provision in the constitution, now bolstered by the recently passed RTE Act. “Every state has its own rules with regard to schooling, but homeschooled children can pretty much join regular schools any time they wish. If they want to continue with homeschooling, then they can complete their high school (10th grade) from the National Open School. The certificates from this organisation can be used all over the country to join colleges for courses thereafter,” explains Chetana.
The pedants call homeschooling a utopian dream – where socialisation, conflict management, ability to deal with competition and other life skills can never be achieved. Mike dismisses notions of socialisation that have to do with staying “cooped up in a classroom with 20-30 children of their own age for 6-8 hours a day”. Sandhya agrees, “The fact that a child is being homschooled doesn't mean that he is at home 24x7 and doesn’t meet other children. In fact, we find more time for him to meet people from different walks of life now than we did when he was at school and the only people he came in touch with regularly were his classmates, teachers, friends and us. One thing he might miss out on is the 'sense of competition' in the classroom. And my viewpoint is that I'd rather have him work well as a team rather than try to compete with someone.”
Looking back at one’s childhood days, the possibility of spending some years studying at home and some in school creates an overwhelming urge to be home – and young – again. But as a parent, the dream may turn into a terrible dilemma. The end of shaping well-rounded and sensitive citizens is certainly a matter of formidable responsibility, after all…
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