Die Departement van Basiese Onderwys het die wapen opgeneem teen ouerregte. Benewens die feit dat hulle Skoolbeheerliggame nou van hul regte wil stroop, wil die departement nou ook tuisonderwys kaap. Die DBO het egter tot hul skok ontdek dat dit nie so maklik is om huise in te dring nie. Teen Dinsdag is hulle administratiewe stelsel oorweldig deur versoeke om uitstel vir kommentaar op die voorgestelde Wysigingswetsontwerp op Basiese Onderwyswette, oftewel die BELA Bill, die Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill, wat op 13 Oktober vrygestel is vir kommentaar.
Die DBO het Karin van Oostrum, Uitvoerende Beampte van die Pestalozzi Trust, geskakel en versoek dat sy asseblief haar lede vra om op te hou om e-posse te stuur en hul departement te skakel. Die departement het baie versoeke ontvang om die afsnydatum vir kommentaar oor die BELA Bill uit te stel.
Die Pestalozzi Trust is ‘n Regsfonds vir Tuis- en Burgerlike Onderwys wat ouers se reg op tuisonderwys beskerm. Die Trust se Voorsitter, Bouwe van der Eems, verduidelik dat die Trust ten doel het om konflik met die DBO te voorkom en op te los, en, wanneer nodig, ook regskostes te dra namens gesinne wat veg vir hul reg om in die beste belang van hul kinders op te tree.
“Tuisonderwys is sedert 1996 wettig, maar dit het nie ouers wat hul kinders tuis onderrig of kinders in mikroskole het, gevrywaar van onregmatige teistering deur onderwysamptenare nie,” sê Van der Eems. Die voorgestelde wetgewing stel egter maatreëls voor wat gesinne se sakke gaan ruk, die gesinne uitmekaar gaan skeur en eenvoudig irrasioneel is.
Waardevolle staatshulpbronne sal vermors word
Alle onderwysdepartemente staan onder geweldige finansiële druk. Volgens voorlopige vooruitskattings sal alle departemente 2017 met tekorte afsluit. Om alles te kroon, sal die nuwe wetsontwerp, die BELA Bill, bykomende administratiewe kostes tot gevolg hê. Volgens kenners kan dit soveel as R100 miljoen per jaar beloop. Niemand kan met sekerheid sê hoeveel dit sal kos nie, maar die Pestalozzi Trust se versoek om besonderhede te kry rakende ‘n Assessering van die Sosio-Ekonomiese Impak wat die voorgestelde wysigings van die tuisonderwyswetgewing sal hê, is tot op hede geïgnoreer. Verteenwoordigers van Tuisonderwysorganisasies is van mening dat die meeste hiervan onnodige en spandabel burokratiese besteding is.
Die Trust voorsien dat die administratiewe kostes so hoog as R20 000 per gesin per jaar kan wees. Dit sluit die kostes van onderrig, boeke en materiaal uit. “’n Groot aantal gesinne in tuisonderwys sal dit eenvoudig nie kan bekostig nie,” sê Karin van Oostrum, wat daagliks nóú met tuisonderwysgesinne saamwerk. Indien hierdie wetsontwerp deurgaan, sal vele tuisskolers gedwing word om na plaaslike staatskole te gaan. Dit sal die las op die staat verhoog.
Gebrek aan raadpleging
“Die beginsels van tuisonderwys is vreemd aan die Departement van Basiese Onderwys; ons het met hul probeer konsulteer maar hulle het ons sedert 2015 uit die proses uitgesluit en ons sedertdien nie vir ons insae gevra nie. Die gevolg hiervan is dat die wetsontwerp onwerkbaar is in die tuisonderwys-omgewing. Die DBO moet saam met ons om die tafel gaan sit sodat ons saam ‘n wet kan ontwerp wat vir al die betrokkenes sal werk,” sê Van der Eems.
Gesinne sal verskeur word
Die mees ontstellende aspek van die wetsontwerp is dat indien dit geimplementeer sou word, ouers wat tuisonderwys doen, blootgestel sal wees aan tronkstraf van soveel as ses jaar. Karin van Oostrum sê: “Sommige tuisskolers is regtig bang; dit kan gesinne uitmekaar skeur. As ouers moet tronk toe gaan, en daar is niemand wat na die kinders kan omsien nie, kan ouers toesig oor hul kinders verloor en kan kinders in pleegsorg geplaas word. Met so ‘n bedeling keer ons terug na die dae van die Apartheidsregering.” In 1993 is Andre en Bokkie Meintjes tronk toe omdat hul hul kinders tuis onderwys het.
“Tuisskolers sal opstaan vir hul regte, al moet hul daarvoor baklei,” sê Van Oostrum, “en ons hoop dat die Departement van Basiese Onderwys na die tafel sal terugkeer sodat ‘n herhaling van Dinsdag se gebeure voorkom kan word.” Sy maan tuisskolers om by die Pestalozzi Trust aan te sluit en saam te veg om hul kinders die beste onderwys moontlik te bied.
Vir navrae en onderhoude: kontak asseblief die Voorsitter van die Pestalozzi Trust: Bouwe van der Eems – 0829079696 / bouwe@pestalozzi.org
Pestalozzi Trust regsfonds vir tuis- en burgerlik onderwys
Web: www.pestalozzi.org E-pos: defensor@Pestalozzi.org Tel: 012 330 1337
We prayed about this and got this word from the Lord this morning:
When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it—though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates— Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were scheming to harm me; so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer. Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter in which was written: “It is reported among the nations—and Geshem says it is true—that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us meet together.” I sent him this reply: “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.” They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.” But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.” One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, “Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you—by night they are coming to kill you.” But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!” I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me. Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophet Noadiah and how she and the rest of the prophets have been trying to intimidate me. So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God. Also, in those days the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and replies from Tobiah kept coming to them. For many in Judah were under oath to him, since he was son-in-law to Shekaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah. Moreover, they kept reporting to me his good deeds and then telling him what I said. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me. After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers, the musicians and the Levites were appointed. I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most people do. I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses.”
Nehemiah 7:1-3 NIV
http://bible.com/111/neh.7.1-3.NIV
Nehemiah 6:1-19 NIV
http://bible.com/111/neh.6.1-19.NIV