Draft Policy on Home Education

Call for comments opened 21 November 2017 Share this page:

Submissions are now closed (since 08 December 2017)

Basic Education

The Department of Basic Education has published the Draft Policy on Home Education, and is asking you to comment.

Home Education is a purposeful programme of education for a learner, alternative to school attendance, which is provided under the direction and supervision of the learner’s parent primarily in the environment of the learner’s home. Home Education is recognised under section 51 of the South African Schools Act, 84 of 1996 (SASA), as a lawful alternative to compulsory attendance to school. The provision of Home Education is guided by the Policy for the Registration of Learners for Home Education which was promulgated  on 23 November 1999 (effective from January 2000), which sets out national norms and standards which apply uniformly across all Provincial Education Departments (PEDs).

The Department of Basic Education took a decision to review the 1999 Policy in order to address gaps which created inconsistencies in the implementation of the policy nationwide. Therefore a Working Group representative of the Department of Basic Education (DBE), PEDs, UMALUSI, Parents, Independent Schools Associations of South Africa (ISASA), South African Comprehensive Assessment Institute (SACAI), as well as Impaq (representing independent curriculum service providers) was established in 2015 to review the existing Policy (1999), by outlining principles on which the reviewed Policy could be based.

Find here: Draft Policy on Home Education 

Comments can be emailed to Ms P Ngcobo at [email protected] by no later than Friday, 8 December 2017.