ACDP doesn't think govt should regulate homeschooling

JOHANNESBURG - The African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) said it did not believe that government should regulate homeschooling.

Earlier on Thursday, the party held a picket outside the Department of Basic Education offices in Johannesburg to protest the signing of the BELA Bill.

If signed into the law, the Basic Education Law Amendment Bill would require parents who are home-schooling their children to register with the provincial education department.

Parents or homeschool teachers would also have to periodically submit their curriculum for review.

ACDP president Kenneth Meshoe said the government should not involve itself between parents and their children.

"The most important thing is that these children who are homeschooled sit down for exams, they do examinations that are given, written and conducted by government. So, if they do well with examinations and they pass, why should they have a problem and want to over-regulate. Government, their problem is they are over-regulating everything because they want control over everything."