Anyone reading this anywhere near Pretoria, South Africa, is very welcome to
join the (peaceful) demonstration outside the German School this Friday,
November 30th, 2007! I think it's exciting that South Africans have recognized
that international protest helped them secure the right to homeschool (which, as
in all countries, no matter how "secure" it feels, it's a precarious right!) and
are willing to stand up for homeschooling in Germany. Following is the text in
both English and Afrikaans, and I'll post some more details in a
separate
entry. Also, please spread this around! Thank you!
Afrikaanse weergawe onderaan
Protest against the persecution of
homeschoolers in Germany
Media Statement by the Association for
Homeschooling
23rd November 2007
The Association for
Homeschooling, in co-operation with the Pestalozzi
Trust legal defence fund
for home education, has applied to the
Tshwane Metro Police for permission to
hold a protest meeting outside
the Deutsche Schule (German School) in
Pretoria on 30th November 2007.
The purpose of the meeting is to inform
the German community of
Pretoria of our protest against the persecution of
homeschoolers in
Germany under the pretext that they are establishing or
continuing
so-called "parallel societies".
The German government has
informed the Association and others who have
expressed their concern, that it
is persuaded of the educational
merits of home education. However, it holds
that children in Germany
(including children of German families), need to be
compelled by force
into German schools in order to be duly integrated into
the kind of
German society approved by the German state.
This includes
the children of South African and other families
residing in
Germany.
Last year, home learner Melissa Busekros was forcefully removed
from
her family. In order to counter the "family influence", she was
first
interned in a state psychiatric facility where she was diagnosed
with
"school phobia" and subsequently placed in foster care. On the
night
of her sixteenth birthday, when she obtained the right to choose
her
own residence, she fled from foster care and returned to her family
home.
More recently, the Neubronner family who homeschool their children
in
the "free" city of Bremen, were allowed to do so last year, only to
be
fined 4500 Euro (more than R45 000) this year for homeschooling.
When
the authorities did not find sufficient possessions in their home
to
be sold in execution of the fine, this week the bank accounts of
the
family's small publishing business were frozen.
This has destroyed
the means of economic survival of the family,
reducing them to beggarhood.
This not only endangers their ability to
retain the family home, but has
created "justification" for
authorities to remove the children from the
family.
The family was compelled to obtain a protective court order to
prevent
the removal of the children from their care – an action that
the
German authorities have taken in the case of other homeschooling
families.
The Association for Homeschooling condemns these actions, which
the
German government justifies in its quest to prevent
"parallel
societies" and asserts that the German government is guilty of
gross
human rights abuses.
The Association also points out that the
German state funds and
supports the Deutsche Schule in Pretoria and similar
German schools
elsewhere in Africa, and even provides German homeschooling
families
in Africa with learning programmes. Clearly, the government of
Germany
is sustaining German "parallel societies" in Africa while
oppressing
homeschoolers in Germany under the pretext that homeschoolers (so
they
claim) are doing in Germany what Germany itself is in fact doing
in
African countries!
Homeschoolers in Pretoria hope to enlist the
support of the German
"parallel" community in our city for our protest
against these dual
standards being applied by the German government in such a
cruel and
inhumane manner.
For further information contact Bouwe van
der Eems 082 907 9696 or
Leendert van Oostrum 082 8262 675.
Protes
teen die vervolging van tuissonderwys in Duitsland
Mediaverklaring deur
die Vereniging vir Tuisonderwys
23 November 2007
Die Vereniging
vir Tuisonderwys, in samewerking met die Pestalozzi
Trust regsfonds vir
tuisonderwys, het by die Tshwane Metropolisie
aansoek gedoen om op 30
November `n protesvergadering buite die
Deutsche Schule (Duitse Skool) in
Pretoria te hou.
Die doel van die vergadering is om die Duitse gemeenskap
van Pretoria
in te lig oor ons protes teen die wrede vervolging van
tuisskolers in
Duitsland onder die voorwendsel dat hulle sogenaamde
"paralelle
gemeenskappe" vestig of onderhou.
Die Duitse regering het
die Vereniging en ander besorgdes ingelig dat
hy oortuig is van die
pedagogiese meriete van tuisonderwys. Sy
standpunt is egter dat kinders in
Duitsland (insluitende kinders van
Duitse gesinne) met geweld in Duitse skole
ingedwing moet word sodat
hulle behoorlik geïntegreer kan word by die soort
Duitse samelewing
wat deur die Duitse staat goedgekeur word.
Dit sluit
die kinders in van Suid-Afrikaanse gesinne wat in
Duitsland
woon.
Verlede jaar is tuisleerder Melissa Busekros met
geweld van haar gesin
verwyder. Ten einde die "gesinsinvloed" teen te werk,
is sy eers in `n
staatsbeheerde psigiatriese inrigting aangehou, waar sy
met
"skoolfobia" gediagnoseer is, voordat sy in pleegsorg geplaas
is.
Gedurende die nag van haar sestiende verjaardag, waarmee sy die
reg
verkry het om haar eie woonplek te kies, het sy uit die
pleegsorg
gevlug en na haar gesinswoning teruggekeer.
Onlangs is die
Neubronnergesin van die "vry"-stad Bremen verlede jaar
wel toegelaat om hul
kinders tuisonderwys te gee, net om vanjaar met
4500 Euro (meer as R45 000)
beboet te word weens hul tuisonderwys. Toe
die owerheid nie genoeg besittings
in hul huis kon kry om ter delging
van die boeteskuld te verkoop nie, is die
bankrekeninge van die gesin
se klein uitgewersbesigheid hierdie week
gevries.
Dit het die gesin se bron van ekonomiese oorlewing vernietig en
hulle
tot die bedelstaf gedwing. Hierdeur word nie net die gesin se
vermoë
om hul woning te behou in gevaar gestel nie, maar dit
het
"regverdiging" geskep om die kinders uit die gesin te
verwyder.
Die gesin Neubronner was verplig om `n beskermende hofbevel te
verkry
om te verhoed dat die kinders uit hul sorg verwyder word – `n stap
wat
Duitse owerhede in die geval van ander tuisskoolgesinne geneem
het.
Die Vereniging vir Tuisonderwys verdoem hierdie optrede, wat
die
Duitse owerheid voorhou as `n poging om "parallelle samelewings"
te
voorkom, en verklaar dat die Duitse regering hom skuldig maak
aan
growwe menseregteskendings
.
Die Vereniging wys ook
daarop dat die Duitse staat die Deutsche Schule
in Pretoria en soortgelyke
skole elders in Afrika befonds en
ondersteun, en selfs Duitse gesinne in
Afrika voorsien van
leerprogramme vir tuisonderwys. Dit is duidelik dat die
Duitse
regering Duitse "parallelle samelewings" in Afrika onderhou terwyl
dit
tuisonderwys in Duitsland onderdruk onder die voorwendsel
dat
tuisskolers in Duitsland (so beweer hy) bloot doen wat Duitsland
self
daadwerlik in Afrika-lande doen!
Tuisskolers in Pretoria hoop om
die steun te verkry van die
"parallelle" Duitse gemeenskap in ons stad vir
ons protes teen hierdie
dubbele standaarde wat die Duitse regering so wreed
en onmenslik toepas.
Vir meer inligting kontak Bouwe van der Eems 082 907
9696 of Leendert
van Oostrum 082 8262 675.
