Who will still be able to do home schooling?
This is the question that must be answered by article 21 of the “separatism” bill, which must be discussed this Thursday 11 and Friday 12 February in the National Assembly, like all the education component of the device.
A “controversial” article by the admission of the Ministry of Education: out of the 2,600 amendments tabled, a third concerns the five articles related to education, 400 for article 21 alone!
Why such a controversy?
Originally, the objective was to bring back into the fold of the republican school children "outside the system" enrolled in underground schools run by Islamists.
"Walls, almost no window, women in niqabs who welcome them, prayers, this is their teaching," Emmanuel Macron had launched during his speech at Mureaux (Yvelines) in October.
The President of the Republic had announced that he wanted to “strictly limit” family education to the only “health requirements” of children.
Since then, it has come up against the families of the 62,000 children undergoing home education, the proportion of those truly enrolled in radicalized associations being impossible to measure.
All cry out for the threat to their freedom of education, the Council of State for its part pointing to risks of unconstitutionality.
A "filtering" of requests
"This article has been rewritten, and the Minister of Education was heard for 12 hours by special committees", we reminded the ministry on Wednesday.
What does it show?
First, home education will now be done by authorization.
Previously, parents simply had to inform the education authorities.
There will therefore be a “filtering” of requests, explains rue de Grenelle.
The reason given must fall into one of the following four categories: a “health or disability requirement”;
“Geographical distance” from any school, sport or art practiced at high intensity, and a fourth, vague reason, the “particular need of the child”.
A point that is debated.
“It is considered that it is the best interests of the child that is the trigger for the parents' request for authorization for home education.
They must develop an educational project, which is not the
desiderata
general of the family, but a constructed request from a particular need of the child ", develops the entourage of Jean-Michel Blanquer.
Thus, the religious question can no longer be a valid reason.
Parents will also have to justify their "material and intellectual capacity to support their children".
The authorities will have to ensure that the parents have the "availability" to take care of the instruction, "if they do not work full time both", specifies the entourage of the Minister of National Education , which evokes "a posteriori controls" and above all, "no more blank check" for parents.
Finally, it will remain a solution for a child who must be withdrawn from school urgently, in the event of bullying, for example.
The "puzzle" of "proofs to be brought"
What do the pro-home education say?
Frédéric Tiberghien, head of the association "Autism hope towards school", deplores a "political display text", which gives the wrong answer to a real question, that of the occult schools.
“We know that it was created to answer the question of underground schools.
But he got the wrong target, ”he thunders.
According to him, the question of "evidence to be provided" to justify a request "will be a headache, especially with regard to medical documents for the disabled", he fears.
And the religious question?
"It does not make sense to refuse to take it into account, insofar as this motivation is authorized for schooling in private schools under contract", recalls Frédéric Tiberghien.
Which, instead of such restrictions, instead advocates "stronger controls on families".
