Western Cape Home Schooling Association Wes-Kaapse Tuisonderwys Vereniging 
WCHSA / WKTV 

June 2000 

We are confident everyone enjoyed the June 10 meeting at St. Georges�Grammar School. We would like to thank all the vendors, all the helpers and all the members and guests for making this a very successful day.

We are looking forward to see you at the annual Spring Fair

 March 2000  

At the AGM on 26 February a new committee was elected. The new chairmain is Brian Goemans. You can contact him by e-mail on briangoemans@e3mil.com.   Some of the other members are Graham Shortridge and Wynand Louw.  The AGM was addressed by our guest speaker  Mr. Aldrin Links of the Centre for Student Counselling and Development at the University of Stellenbosch. Leendert spoke  on the legal situation and the  Pestalozzi Trust.

January 2000 

The education department has declared war on all home schoolers. This has become painfully apparent by their treatment of numerous home schoolers around the country since the new school year started. Families have been harassed......  It is now the time  to join the association and the Pestalozzi Trust.  Be at the next meeting (26 February 2000) and vote for the right to home school your children.

November 1999

The government at last published policy on home schooling:

NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY ACT, 1996 (NO. 27 OF 1996)
                POLICY FOR THE REGISTRATION OF LEARNERS FOR HOME EDUCATION

The policy has serious implications for home schoolers.  Please let us have your comments on it.
For more up to date legal information visit the Pestalozzi site at: http://www.pestalozzi.org
Several events have been organised to explain the implications of the new policy.  Visit the home schooling events site at http://www.grobler.co.za/hs/events.htm for more information.

August 1999

Report on the meeting between the National Coalition of Home schoolers and the government

Representatives of the National Coalition of Home Schoolers made submissions to a meeting of the national and provincial departments of education on the draft policy for the registration of home learners.

Home schoolers expressed serious concern about the extent of over regulation contained in the draft policy. The numerous unjustified restrictions on home learners and their families may well make this the most oppressive home education policy in any country where home education is legally practised.

The many restrictions fail to take into account any of the extensive research on home education that was made available to the authorities. The policy will, for example, impose at least four separate assessment systems on home learners. Hardly any decision on the education of home learners, including the resources to be used, the time of day and the daily duration of home education, is free from possible veto by education authorities.

Dr Vuyo Mpumlwana, of the Coalition, summed up the results of the meeting: "Pharaoh was abroad today. The more we argued and appealed to them to let our children go, the less would they relent".

Home school leaders expect that the policy will lead to widespread underground home schooling. "The Education Department adopted a position that was completely inflexible", said Leendert van Oostrum, Chairman of the Pestalozzi Trust legal defence fund for home education
Van Oostrum appealed to Christians to intercede in prayer for the home
schooling families who will soon have to test the new policy in courts across the country, and for wisdom and guidance for home school leaders who must devise strategies to protect the rights of home schooling families.