Educating Germany

The translation of the previous post


School Refusers

Bible-believing Christians fight for their Homeschool

by Karsten Kammholz, 3rd September 2008, 16:36 hours

Because they fear that their children would be brutalised in a state school, a Hessian family educate their children themselves. As a result, the parents received three months in prison. In the process the eldest son showed that he hasn't been harmed by learning at home.

Rosemarie and Jürgen Dudek from the Hessian village of Archfeld are persevering people. The couple have refused for several years, to send their children to school. The parents assume the responsibility themselves for the lessons at home. They do so on religious grounds. The devout, but non-denominational Christians fear their seven children would be brutalised in state schools.

Three times the Dudeks, he 47 years old, she 42, have stood before a court because of their tenacious resistance. In the beginning they got off lightly with fines. But a few months ago each parent was sentenced to three months in prison. Without probation. Whether they actually have to go to prison, the judge at the Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt / Main will decide in the coming weeks.

And even though these legal proceedings have not yet finished, the Dudeks are being threatened with the next criminal prosecution. The Bebra school authority has once again lodged a complaint against the parents. This for the School Authorities Director, Arno Meissner, is a logical decision: "The Dudeks do not act consistent with the law."

The Dudeks have seven children, the eldest is 16 years old, the youngest ten months. The sons Lukas(14) Daniel(12) and Jeremia(8), must have registered at a state school at the beginning of the new school year. The Bebra school authority had given the Dudeks until the 31st August to do so. But the parents knowingly let the ultimatum pass. "Brute force never achieved much. We will not be worn down, "says Rosemarie Dudek. The parents are confident and want to fight, so that not only in their home state of Hesse, but in the whole of Germany, the freedom to home educate is again allowed. Jürgen Dudek, who works in the afternoon as a tutor, says: "Even at the time of the Weimar Republic, home education was an acceptable alternative form of education to public school . Only under Hitler in 1938, was compulsory school attendance (by force) brought in." The Dudeks resist the idea that school in Germany "can occur in the governments shackles" exclusively. In many western countries the so-called homeschooling is less strongly avenged. In most of the European countries education is compulsory, but not schooling. And compulsory schooling, says the Hessian Ministry of Culture, is still compulsory school attendance.

The Dudeks have also thought about emigrating. In the end they lacked the finances.

The parents are disappointed that the state institutions do not trust them with the education (of their children) and intervene in family life. No representative of the school authority has ever visited their home nor have they wanted to track the outcomes of the instruction, lament the parents. Otherwise they would find everything normal with school books, homework, timetables and school holidays. The Dudeks have no doubt that their small family school is a model of success.

They taught their oldest son, 16-year-old Jonathan, themselves at home, through to the previous school year. In order to get the Realschule [administrative track school] leaving certificate, he finally went for half a year to a state school. The school authorities had not allowed an external leaving certificate. At school, he was top of the class with a grade point average of 1.1. Now he is apprenticing to a carpenter. The Dudeks want to do the same for the rest of their children: Only going to school for when they really must for the school leaving certificate.

The fresh criminal complaint concerns the Dudeks less than the threat of imprisonment. It would tear the family apart.