Educating Germany

Thanks to the Schulbildung in Familieninitiative e.V. for this lead....

Mission on Germany Report

The salient points seem to be:

61. Mothers and fathers, together with the pupils themselves, should have a real possibility to participate in the adoption of decisions relating to classification and other essential aspects of the educational system. This possibility should be established in law.

62. According to reports received, it is possible that, in some Länder, education is understood exclusively to mean school attendance. Even though the Special Rapporteur is a strong advocate of public, free and compulsory education, it should be noted that education may not be reduced to mere school attendance and that educational processes should be strengthened to ensure that they always and primarily serve the best interests of the child. Distance learning methods and home schooling represent valid options which could be developed in certain circumstances, bearing in mind that parents have the right to choose the appropriate type of education for their children, as stipulated in article 13 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The promotion and development of a system of public, government-funded education should not entail the suppression of forms of education that do not require attendance at a school. In this context, the Special Rapporteur received complaints about threats to withdraw the parental rights of parents who chose home-schooling methods for their children.

91. The Special Rapporteur recommends to the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany:

(b) That these safeguards should ensure the participation of the parents of schoolchildren, as appropriate, in all decisions relating to the placement of their children in educational centres and to the choice of the modes of education;

93. It is also recommended:

(g) That the necessary measures should be adopted to ensure that the home schooling system is properly supervised by the State, thereby upholding the right of parents to employ this form of education when necessary and appropriate, bearing in mind the best interests of the child;

Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Vernor Muñoz

Addendum

MISSION TO GERMANY

(13-21 February 2006)

A/HRC/4/29/Add.3

9 March 2007

We can cite our agreement with these references in our correspondence.