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Families and educational freedom: the case for home-schooling

By Mikayla Novak - posted Thursday, 21 April 2005


More specifically, I have outlined the impacts arising from the refusal of State Labor Governments to permit greater operational freedoms for government schools, their moves to restrict the autonomy of non-government schools (including their capacity to engage private sector funding and services), as well as the impact of a lack of genuine student-centred voucher funding arrangements for a "competitive playing field" amongst the different types of schools. This policy stance prevents the development of a genuine market approach in the school education sector and works to the advantage of substandard public schools and teacher unions, yet to the detriment of students and their parents.

Along with control over government and non-government schools, the reach of state regulations is gradually being extended into the home-school sector. In all states except Victoria the respective education legislation states that it is the responsibility of the minister for education (and not parents) to provide for the education of children. Further, under state regulations, if parents wish to home educate during the compulsory schooling years they must seek the permission of their state government to do so, typically through a registration or dispensation process.

This allows states to identify home-schools, and serves as a regulatory “back door” to impose a range of conditions on home-schooling environments. These potentially include conformity to state curricula, testing and evaluation standards and for individual home-schools to report regularly to education departments on their activities and student outcomes. It requires that the parent providing the home-schooling is a registered teacher, and allows officials to monitor a home-school as they see fit.

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In essence, the states are increasingly responding to the challenge provided by the home-school movement to its education monopoly by systematically undermining and co-opting parents by establishing “government home-schooling” programs. In attempting to regulate truly independent Australian home-schooling out of existence by making them operate more like conventional government schools, the states and territories are once again demonstrating their willingness to encroach on school choice options and, in the particular case of home-schooling, familial educational freedom and independence itself.

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About the Author

Mikayla Novak is a Research Fellow with the Institute of Public Affairs. She has previously worked for Commonwealth and State public sector agencies, including the Commonwealth Treasury and Productivity Commission. Mikayla was also previously advisor to the Queensland Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Her opinion pieces have been published in The Australian, Australian Financial Review, The Age, and The Courier-Mail, on issues ranging from state public finances to social services reform.

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