Potential HK Homeschoolers,
What follows is cobbled together from Files existing on this group before the current leadership team took over and a recent discussion of the issue (2010). As far as we are aware the two people who replied that they had received permission from the EDB in the following discussion are the only members of our group (of 59 members) with explicit permission.
The Hong Kong Homeschool Meetup Group
The following was a recent (2010) discussion on our message board in response to a new member’s queries:Hi and welcome to the Meet-Up group!
I have homeschooled in HK since 2003 and I myself have lived here for 22 years. My kids were born here, went to both local and international schools for a few years (up to P1) before I pulled them out and started homeschooling. At that time, I contacted the Education Department and was told 'they would find me if they needed to'. They never contacted me.
My advice: don't waste your time, effort and energy in contacting the EMB. They are not going to come after you -- and even if they do (so unlikely it wouldn't even factor on the radar) your daughter is enrolled in the Southern California Christian Academy, so she is already being educated and 'recorded'. You are not breaking any laws because there is only the law that children be educated to the age of 15. The law does not state that they must be sitting in a concrete building for 7 hours a day to accomplish this.
Honestly speaking, (and this is beside the point, but very true) the EMB has enough to worry about with their new system for local schools in place this year, and contrary to what newspapers from time to time would like us to believe, there is no department dedicated to rooting out those of us who homeschool (or if there is, they do a pretty poor job because my kids would be the first to pop up on the radar - previously in local schools, Chinese last name, Chinese father, HK permanent residents, etc.).
Besides, you are already 'enrolled' in a school or other organisation that tracks you. You are breaking no laws! You'd be far better off spending your time exploring Hong Kong with your daughter and sharing with her the many delights the city and countryside has to offer than banging your head against the wall trying to figure out how to get a nod from the EMB when you don't even have to. My guess is that even if you did call them, they'd be like...."but you're already enrolled in a school (or school-tracking) institution...so why are you calling us?"
Wishing you a smooth transition to HK,
Hi guys!
I was investigated by the ED this year because one of my neighbours lodged a formal complaint (that a foreign boy lived here who never went to school... too bad my neighbour never bothered to speak to us about it!). Up until that point, we had never been contacted or bothered by anyone from the ED.
Anyway, we were assigned a representative from the "Non-Attendance Office". She comes to see us every three months to check up on us, and to review the work that we have been doing. She also takes some time to ask my son questions ("Do you want to go to school?"...that type of thing). She is always very pleasant, and is very satisfied with what we are doing.
On the first visit, she was most concerned about the "socialisation issue". After seeing the island for herself, and seeing how all the kids around here run around and play together (thank goodness for the 'car-lessness' of Peng Chau!) she hasn't raised this issue again. She also wanted to check that my son is receiving a well-rounded education (sports, music, art, as well as academic).
She is taking more time with us because of my son's age (he turned 12 this past August), but everything has been going smoothly so far. They do request 'valid reasons' for homeschooling. If you can satisfy these requirements, you'll be fine. These are the 'valid reasons' I gave:
1) My son has mild dyslexia (it was worse before, but now it is almost a non-issue, thanks to the time that we spend together on this).
2) Although I am a permanent HK resident, homeschooling will provide continuity if we do choose to leave HK in the near future.
3) I do not wish my son to be educated in the British system of education (especially as it won't help my son in preparing for university in Canada).
4) The only school on Peng Chau is Chinese-medium, which presents language issues.
5) The government school on HK Island where English-speaking from the outer islands are sent to is not compatible with our spiritual beliefs and values.
I hope that this info helps you out. Please feel free to ask me if you would like to know more about our dealings with the Education Department.
Best wishes, and the best of luck to you!
Hi there,
We actually went through this and there is a process to follow. The EDB does not really take into account that you are enrolled in another organisation that 'tracks' you so to speak. What an EDB staff will tell you is that your child must be enrolled in a physical building (i.e. a school) and your home is not a school per se. Having said that, I was told that I must apply to home school our children if I really want to do this; and that, we did.
It is up to the discretion of the EDB and we were told that each case is different and is reviewed on a case-by-case basis. They will only consider your child's application if she / he is 6 years old since this is what the law mandates. When my son turns 6 next year, we will have to go through the same process. We applied for both my kids but they ignored his application. So now I am gathering / filing all my home school stuff to bring in next year for when we apply for him.
One more thing - We found EDB to be helpful, accommodating and not at all bureaucratic. Our experience was quite positive overall. We hope to have the same experience when we apply for our son next year. Praise be to God who opened the door for us !
Another article, written last year in October, which we discussed.
It outlines the situation a little more clearly about the homeschooling issue:
"The Education Ordinance states that home-schooling is illegal without reasonable excuse and children aged between six and 15 are required to attend school. Parents who fail to send their children to school can face a HK$10,000 fine and three months in jail.
An Education and Manpower Bureau spokeswoman explained that the EMB believed all children had the right to an education and attending school was in their best interests. School education could provide children with a balanced and structured formal curriculum as well as extra curricular activities and opportunities to interact with their peers and teachers. These elements of education were considered essential to a child's overall growth and development.
However, the EMB acknowledged that there might be a few 'rare' and 'exceptional' cases where alternative forms of education could meet a child's educational needs.
The spokeswoman said that parents who wished to home-school their children should contact the EMB and provide details to explain how they intend to do so. Every home-schooling case was carefully examined to ensure it met legal requirements and the educational needs of the child.
The EMB sought to ensure that home-schooling was conducted with the necessary resources, knowledge and skills, and not at the expense of the child's educational and social development.
There are known to be a number of expatriates in Hong Kong who home-school their children.
Some parents have established a private co-operative, which has links to Adventist College, a liberal arts college founded and supported by the Seventh-day Adventist church in Sai Kung.
About six children of its church members attend lessons taught by a group of parents. The parents teach different subjects according to their individual strengths and follow a curriculum set by an accredited institution in the US."
Date of Meeting: 14 February 2001
Asked by : Hon CHEUNG Man-kwong
Replied by : SEM
Question :
Given the recent case in which a parent refused to let his daughter receive school education and would educate her at home instead, will the Government inform this Council:
- whether there are policy, guidelines or standards allowing parents not to send their children to schools but to educate them at home instead; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
- of the number of cases handled in the past five years involving parents choosing to let their children stay home to receive education and, in these cases, of the attitude of these parents, the learning of the children, the handling procedure of the Education Department, and the counselling and support actions provided for these families; and
- whether it will review the policy on whether children should be allowed to receive education at home; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
Madam President,
Government's policy is to provide nine years of free and universal education to children aged between six and 15. Accordingly, children within these ages must attend school. We have no plan to review/change this policy. We firmly believe, having regard to Hong Kong's present socio-economic situation, it is in the best interest of children that they should all go to school. The school provides a more balanced and structured formal curriculum as well as extra curriculum activities, and opportunities for interaction with peers and teachers. All these are essential for all-round development, covering the domains of ethics, intellect, physique, social skills and aesthetics.
If parents persistently do not send their children to school without valid reasons, the Director of Education (DE) may issue an attendance order under the Education Ordinance, requiring the parents to send their children to school. It is an offence if parents do not comply with an attendance order.
When the attention of the Education Department (ED) is drawn to cases involving parents keeping their children away from school, officers of ED will first conduct home visits to understand the situation. The Department will also arrange school inspectors to visit the families to see if the educational needs of the children have been properly addressed through home teaching. Educational psychologists will also assess whether the psychological development of the children has been affected. Counselling and other support services, such as remedial teaching services, will also be provided as necessary. If the parents insist on keeping their children at home without valid reasons, DE may issue an attendance order mentioned in the above paragraph.
In the past five years, there were two such cases, including the one referred to in this question. In both cases, the parents believed that they could provide better education at home for their children. Both cases are followed up in accordance with the established procedures described above. The child involved in the earlier case will return to school shortly after ED's intervention.
Chapter: / 279 / Title: / EDUCATION ORDINANCE / Gazette Number: / 27 of 2004
Section: / 74 / Heading: / Power of Permanent Secretary to order attendance at primary school or secondary school / Version Date: / 01/01/2005
(1) Where it appears to the Permanent Secretary that a child is not attending primary school or secondary school without any reasonable excuse, the Permanent Secretary may, after making such inquiries as he considers necessary, serve upon a parent of the child an attendance order in the specified form requiring him to cause the child to attend regularly as a pupil the primary school or secondary school named in the attendance order. (Amended 34 of 1979 s. 5; 47 of 1990 s. 6; 8 of 2001 s. 4)
(2) The Permanent Secretary may at any time, by notice in writing served upon a parent of the child to whom an attendance order relates- (Amended 3 of 2003 s. 11)
(a) vary the order by substituting another primary school or secondary school for that named in the order; (Amended 34 of 1979 s. 5)
(b) otherwise vary or withdraw the order,
and any variation of an attendance order shall take effect on the expiry of the period of 14 days after the date of service of the notice in writing.
(2A) The Permanent Secretary may at any time, by notice in writing served upon the management committee or incorporated management committee (as may be appropriate) of a primary school or secondary school named in an attendance order, require the committee to admit to that school as a pupil the child to whom the attendance order relates. (Added 47 of 1990 s. 6. Amended 27 of 2004 s. 29)
(2B) No person shall, without the permission in writing of the Permanent Secretary, expel from a primary school or secondary school named in an attendance order the child to whom the attendance order relates and who has been admitted to that school as a pupil in accordance with that order. (Added 47 of 1990 s. 6)
(3) This section shall-
(a)-(b) (Repealed 47 of 1990 s. 6)
(c) not apply to a child- (Amended 47 of 1990 s. 6)
(i) who has completed Form III of secondary education and whose parent can produce evidence to that effect to the satisfaction of the Permanent Secretary;
(ii) who is a registered apprentice under the Apprenticeship Ordinance (Cap 47); or
(iii) who is attending regularly, or is an inmate of, an institution (other than a school) which is regarded by the Permanent Secretary as suitable for the child. (Added 34 of 1979 s. 5)
(Amended 3 of 2003 s. 11)