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10 sats \ 1 reply \ @Scroogey 11h \ on: Is homeschooling allowed in the country where you live? Education
I live in a country where, (about two generations) in the past, industrial and agricultural child labour was deemed normal. Not quite as bad as even earlier, but if you were poor (or a girl), you didn't get an education beyond the bare minimum required to do manual work.
The state then enforced a mandatory period of seven years of public schooling, where the cost of education was socialized. A vast majority of people considered this a proud achievement. (Hard) child labour is now considered a form of abuse.
Public schooling is a compromise, mostly due to financing: you can certainly stimulate children better with a lower ratio of pupils per teacher, but not everyone has the money to pay for extremes. For this reason, there are now some private schools. Expensive, more teachers per child, arguably better results. But most children go to public schools.
Home schooling is very rare, because most parents don't have the time to do it, as they have (or choose) to work. When it is done, it is met with some suspicion regarding the motivation of the parents. There have been cases of cults and religious child abuse.
Exceptions are, for instance, families who travel extensively (sailing around the world, carnies, other types of nomads). Those homeschool out of neccessity, and adjust curriculums and methods of public schools.
I'd say the general consensus in our country is that the goal of a child's education is to prepare it well for its own, independent life. If parents have their own strong ideas of how to do that, they are rightly required to pass some muster, if only to weed out abusers. The parents' rights don't trump the child's.
Yes, in all countries each social stratum provides the education that is within their reach to their children. The system and the economy force you to depend on state institutions so that your children can have an education. I think the point you mention about the physical and moral safety of children is valid. It is acceptable to do a psychological study of the parents to corroborate that they are not a potential threat.
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