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Regional Athletics Day Details:

• Date: 14 February 2018

• Venue: Tygerberg Athletics Club, Jan Burger Sports Park, De Grendel Rd, Parow North

• Time: 07h30 – 15h00

• Costs: Early bird registration by Thursday, 1 February – R115 (R85 entry fee plus R30 Officials fee) per athlete

Registration 2 – 4 February – R125 (R95 entry fee plus R30 Officials fee) per athlete

– if you’d like to volunteer as an official please add this to your entry form, your children will be exempted from the Officials fee, thus only pay R85/R95 per athlete.

• Dress code: Plain white T-shirt with dark blue or black shorts (athletes will be given a CHE team sticker to wear on their shirts on the day.)

Children born in 1999-2012 may enter.

Entry Forms (please complete 1 form per family) Events per age group on page 2

Please send your entry form WITH proof of EFT payment to: lizelle.rademeyer@gmail.com
(if you have not received an reply within 48 hours please e-mail again as e-mails can unfortunately get lost in cyberspace)
EFT payments can be made to:

• Bank: ABSA

• Account name: Cape Home Educators

• Account number: 4089098115

• Type of account: Cheque account

• Branch code: 632005

• Reference: your e-mail address

Entries close: Sunday Feb 4th 2018

No late entries will be accepted!!!!

Google Map = https://goo.gl/maps/cvuM8fxqyCt

General info:

1. Please ensure that you are at the venue 30 minutes before your child’s first event as you need to get the T-shirt sticker and the children need to be lined-up before being taken on to the field
2. There will be a march around the field at 7:30. Please can all those athletes that partake between 8 and 9 be there early enough for the march.
3. It is a tartan track, which can get hot later in the day. Please bring tape plasters for your child(rens) feet, if they prefer to run barefoot.
4. The CHE will have an area to all sit together. Last year we got the embankment (as we were the biggest “school”). Gazebos/umbrellas welcome.
5. We will only be lining up children aged 11 and younger. Older athletes should listen to the announcer and report to their own events. If you are unsure where to report, please ask at the CHE gazebo.
6. The final program will only be send out once SACSSA has received all entries. We will e-mail this to all the athletes once we’ve received it.
7. Athletes only compete once (no finals are run at the regional meet)
8. The top 8 athletes from each event progress to the Provincial Meet, 9 March, again at the Tygerberg Athletics Club, Jan Burger Sports Park. You need to enter for this separately. We will send out results once it is available.
9. No medals are awarded at the Regional Meet as this is only a qualifier for the Provincial meet.

Dress code and stickers

– White shirt with dark blue or black shorts
– CHE sticker on left of chest (please collect your sticker at the CHE gazebo)
– Event stickers. Please note you need to provide your own event stickers. A separate sticker is needed for each event as the officials take these at the end of the event to determine placings.
Parents please ensure that athletes have their stickers on when they report for their events.

Please note the stickers for each child also needs to show their school (in our case Cape Home Educators). Example:

John Doe 10 years
Cape Home Educators
High jump

Age is their age on 31 December 2018 eg for children born in 2012 it will be 6. If the student is 9 turning 10 this year he/she is 10 years old! AGE GROUP 16 AND 17 ARE ENTERED AS 17 (Youth). AGE GROUP 18 AND 19 ARE ENTERED AS 19 (Junior).

If you are unsure about the stickers, simply bring empty ones along. We will have a list with the age groups and events for all our athletes at the CHE table. And can help you on the day.

Officials
We need to provide an official for every 10 athletes entered. We have added a R30 officials fee to rent officials. You are welcome to volunteer as an official and will then be exempted from the officials fee for all your children. (Cottage schools/ homeschool centres will only get exemption for 10 children per official volunteering). Please indicate on your entry form if you are volunteering as an official.

Officials please wear a white shirt and white/navy/black pants.

THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR – GENERAL: Curriculum Policy, Support and Monitoring
Department of Basic Education
222 Struben Street
PRETORIA
0001

For Attention: Me P Ngcobo
Comments on the Draft policy on Home Education
We, the Cape Home Educators (CHE) Association, are an autonomous Home Educating association representing our constituents’ home education interests in the Western Cape. The Department of Education has the association on their database as an interested and affected party. In 2014 and 2015 we were invited by the DBE to take part in 2 two-day sessions respectively, which included various presentations from the main home educating associations, legal and other. Together with related dynamic discussion and dialogue, these sessions were constructive and according to Dr. Simelane and others, very informative and educational, but nevertheless too short to adequately address the various complex issues.
BACKGROUND
Since homeschooling was legalized in South Africa at the dawn of our democracy, home education has been growing exponentially. In the 2011 census, there were approximately 58,000 children who were receiving home education in the country as the current education system failed families and could not cater for the various needs which children and families were burdened with. Contemplating international trends, we strongly believe that homeschooling will continue to increase at an exceptional rate.
Art.51 of the SA’s school act of 1996 which addresses home education, is such a failure that it resulted in only 5% of home educators complying with the policy. Due to education officials not understanding the philosophy of home education, a great sense of mistrust has been bred over the years between the home educating community and the Department of Education. Therefore as an association we can appreciate and welcome the efforts of the DBE to rectify the flaws of the current policy. Unfortunately the proposed changes in the policy will make the situation worse and even fewer home educating families will comply. As an association we are grateful for the opportunity to work with government to find workable, viable solutions to these issues.
FLAWED CONSULTATION PROCESS
The policy which was released for public comment on the 17th of November 2017 was already drafted before the consultation process with the home educating community in 2014. After the presentations by the homeschooling community nothing had been changed in the policy. The DBE ignored the inputs that were delivered to them and it is now made clear that the various homeschooling representatives were just invited to these meeting to ” rubber stamp” this policy.
Albert Einsteins definition for insanity is as follows : Doing the same thing over and over and every time expecting a different result. Unfortunately, the DBE has once again, through its repeated actions polarized the home schooling community. Through these repeated polarizing actions the DBE somehow expects homeschoolers to comply and “buy in” to this policy.
Great leadership has a unifying effect and can get groups of people with different points of view to work together. Currently great leadership is not being portrayed by the DBE and as an association we expect unifying leadership from the DBE.

1.Policy Clause 12 Application for registration of a learner for home education
OBJECTION
Parents have the primary responsibility for the upbringing and development of the child. From the ages of 0-7 years and from 15 years to adult, the parents can fulfill their responsibility to their children without having to ask for permission from the Head of Department.
If a child has learning disabilities which the school cannot cater for, the parent should not be impeded by bureaucracy to do what is in the best interest of the child.
If a child is abused, raped or bullied in a school, the parent should not be impeded by bureaucracy to do what is in the best interest of the child.
If schools are overcrowded and the institution cannot deliver adequate education, the parent should not be impeded by bureaucracy to do what is in the best interest of the child.
If it is in the child’s best interest to be educated in an acceptable cultural and religious environment, the parent should not be impeded by bureaucracy to do what is in the best interest of the child.
If a child excels in a certain sport or cultural activity and needs more time to pursue this talent, which homeschooling accommodates, the parent should not be impeded by bureaucracy to do what is in the best interest of the child.
If the child has a physical disability or sickness and cannot function properly in a school environment, the parent should not be impeded by bureaucracy to do what is in the best interest of the child.
If families are living in remote, rural areas far from educational institutions, the parent should not be impeded by bureaucracy to do what is in the best interest of the child.
The above clause proposed restricts the parent to fulfill their obligation to their children.
PROPOSAL
As an association we propose that the idea of having to ask permission from the HOD to home educate the child be removed and replaced with the parent having to notify the department of their intention to home educate.

2. Policy Clause S13(2)(e)(iii)
“arrange for the learner’s educational attainment to be assessed annually by a competent assessor, at the parent’s own expense, who will apply a standard that is
not inferior to that which is determined in the NCS….”
; and
S18.5(2)…use the services of a competent assessor to assess the progress of her or his child ….
OBJECTION
The financial burden placed on Home Educating families by this article, is extremely high. This will make home education unattainable for families of a low income bracket and homeschooling will not be perceived as an educational option for all in South Africa, but only for the rich. Due to this fact, many homeschooling parents will be forced to send their children back to school, which will put further strain on the current institutional system.
Homeschooling families also contribute to the tax base which funds education. In more enlightened countries i.e. New Zealand, home educators receive grants for taking the responsibility to home educate and relieving the educational system and the state of the financial burden.
The department of education will have to appoint officials who can process and assess the reports of the 52 000 children who are currently being home educated. This, once again, will place an exorbitant financial burden on the state and tax payers.
PROPOSAL
The current homeschooling curriculum providers offer various school-leaving internationally accredited qualifications. i.e. Cambridge, SAT’s, GED, CAPS. IEB, etc. These providers are currently, by default, regulating the home education environment.

3. Policy Clause S6.2(2)(c)(6)(a)
“ any parent who without just cause and after a written notice from the Head of Department, fails to comply with subsection (1) is guilty of an offense and is liable of conviction or a fine or imprisonment for a period of six months, or to both such fine and such imprisonment. “
OBJECTION
As home educating parents sacrifice much i.e. an extra income, to do what is in the best interest of their children, they are now also liable to be imprisoned for six years for non-compliance with a draconian policy. Law abiding citizens will be criminalized as opposed to serious crimes of which the penalty is less than aforementioned. This section of the article will once again, drive home educating families into a covert position where they will act like a persecuted minority.
PROPOSAL
The current social, welfare and policing systems are adequate to prevent abuse of children and it should not become the task of the Department of Education.
THE SPIRIT OF THE POLICY
The policy is written from the perverted point of view that parents cannot be trusted with the education of their children and need to be constantly monitored by the State / DBE.
The following is a quote from the Economist: “South Africa has one of the worlds worst education systems.” The publication reported that South Africa ranked 75th out 76, in a ranking table of education systems drawn up by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
The World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report 2015-2016 ranked South Africa last in terms of its quality of maths and science education. 140th out of 140 countries. It ranked South Africa 138 out of 140 countries when it comes to the quality of the education system.
Joan van Niekerk, the manager of training and advocacy for childline South Africa cited a recent report by the Human Sciences Research Council which revealed that 34% of learners experienced sexual harassment and sexual abuse at school from peers and another 14% from educators.
Thousands of pages of reports and research can be presented to prove the point that the South African Education system, under the polarising leadership of the DBE, is crumbling due to ineptness. It can be clearly seen that the DBE cannot be trusted with the education of our children which are the future of our country.
It is clear that the DBE is struggling to monitor and manage its own system and now it wants to manage and monitor homeschooling which it does not understand.
As a responsible parent who has to uphold my child’s right to quality education, the DBE controlled schooling system would be at the bottom of my list of choices.

CONCLUSION
Due to the lack of research by the DBE and proper consultation with the various effected parties, the policy, in its current form, will unfortunately, once again, be rejected by the home educating community. We therefore URGE the DBE to educate themselves with regards to home education and its various philosophies. The home educating community is driven by passionate parents who love their children immensely and have their best interests at heart. Herein is an opportunity for this passion to be channeled by government in the right direction, to benefit education in this country.

Regards

Victor Sabbe
CHE Chairman

The City of Cape Town are encouraging grade 8-10 (in 2018) students to apply to be on the Junior City Council (JCC). Home educated children are encouraged to also apply.

The deadline for the application process is on 1 December 2017.

The relevant information can be downloaded in Afrikaans, English and isiXhosa. As well as the nomination form

The Director General
Private Bag x895
Pretoria
0001

For attention Adv. T. D. Rudman

Dear Adv Rudman

Request for extension on the closing date of 10 November, for comments on the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill

Dear Adv Rudman

We are an autonomous Homeschooling Association called the Cape Home Educators (CHE) which represents Homeschooling interests in the Western Cape.

The Department of Education has the Association on their database as an interested and effected party.

In 2014 and 2015 we were invited by the DBE to take part in two 2-day sessions respectively, which included various presentations from the main representative Homeschooling associations, legal and other, in SA, together with related dynamic discussion and dialogue. These sessions were constructive and according to Dr Simelane and others, very informative and educational, but nevertheless too short to adequately address the various complex issues.

The CHE withdrew from the next phase which was the “working groups”, due to a foundational principle that the DBE and the association could not agree on, namely the DBE claim that the child ‘belongs to the state’, which contradicts the values enshrined in the Constitution, both local and internationally

This notion would inevitably be interpreted by parents as the state usurping the essential role of the family, whose responsibility it is to act in the best interest of their child. This state view is ominously reminiscent of totalitarian, Marxist philosophy, an ideology that globally, has repeatedly proven to fail. As Marx himself said, “in order to create a perfect socialist state, you have to destroy the family, substituting governmental authority for that of the parent’s, in the rearing of their children”. History is replete with failures ensuing from this systemically flawed philosophy.Regardless of the differences however, , we made it clear to the DBE that we were available and willing to work and dialogue with them on an ongoing basis, to find practical, workable solutions to these weighty issues which encapsulate our Constitution.

On 13 October 2017 the Department of Basic Education (DBE) published a draft bill with proposed amendments to the SA Schools Act on the Website of the South African Government for public comment. The draft bill, however, proposes changes that could severely restrict the freedom of parents to choose the education that is in the best interest of their children. The public is given until 10 November to submit their comments.

As an interested and effected party which represents Home-schooling parents and has been engaging constructively with the DBE, we were extremely disappointed that we were not officially informed or invited to make comment on the new bill, especially considering the expressed willingness of the DBE, during the talks of 2014 And 2015, to involve the representative Homeschool organizations in ongoing discussion and consultation . To our knowledge the DBE has been working on this document for at least 4 years since 2014, while we as educating parents, are expected to contribute comments within the unreasonable and unrealistic time-frame of one month only.

The primary reasons for the request are:

1) As an Association we need to consult with our members and get consensus. You would know that this is a time-consuming process, when done properly. If the DBE had notified us sooner, we could have initiated the process with sufficient time at our disposal, for proper, meaningful input and comment.

2) The Association needs to budget for and obtain adequate, expert legal advice in this matter.

3) This is a busy time of the year, and most families are engaged in exams, among other end of the year commitments, with little or no time at their disposal to apply themselves and comment on the proposed Bill, so exercising their democratic right.

4) Institutions and providers of the various curricula to Home-schoolers, whose input in this process would be equally invaluable, are also inundated and engaged in examination during this time.

As the ancient axiom goes, healthy families build strong communities and strong communities in turn build powerful nations. Due to the complex issues addressed in the Bill, issues directly attacking and threatening the sustainability of healthy families and responsible parenting, this Bill in its current form would undoubtedly contribute to the demise of our nation.

Due to the lack of research by the DBE and proper consultation with the various affected parties, we believe the process to be severely compromised, even in its inception, and would not accurately represent our great democracy.

We urgently request that the date for submissions be extended by at least six months, in order for the democratic process to be followed fairly and justly.

Please revert back to us within 7 days of receipt of this letter, in order for us to provide feedback to our members.

Kind Regards

Victor Sabbe
CHE Chairman

Dear Educator and/or Member of the Pestalozzi Trust

URGENT: PLEASE ASK FOR AN EXTENSION OF TIME TO COMMENT ON HOME ED LAW

I would like to thank all of you for your suggestions and pledges of support over the last few days. I also know that many of you are for good reason very eager to join the fight for our rights and your families. I also appreciate your patience, and allow me to assure you that we have been working feverishly in the background getting ready to respond.

SUMMARY: The Department of Basic Education “DBE” has published the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill for public comment (due by 10 November 2017). Section 2 on ‘compulsory school attendance’ and Section 25 in particular on ‘registration for home education’, would seriously restrict your freedom and add costs to you as a home educator. Given that it is now exam time followed by the festive season, that we were poorly consulted before, and that the proposals have such serious implications for home educators that we need to time to study, and consult with other and our legal representatives, we have written to the DBE to ask for an extension to comment period until the 15th February 2018. Please could you urgently write a letter preferably in your own words to Adv Rudman at rudman.d@dbe.gov.za to ask for more time and Bcc a copy to homeschoolfreedom1996@gmail.com.

Read our motivation for more time at https://goo.gl/iQNh6g.
Please also read the full Bill at https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/41178_gon1101.pdf..

We will be contacting you again next week to discuss how the bill will affect you.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO RIGHT NOW

The first battle in our fight is to obtain an extension to the closing date for the public comment on the draft Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill. On the 18th of October 2017, the Pestalozzi Trust presented the attached request to the office of Adv. Rudman at the Department of Basic Education. We spoke to Adv. Rudman, and he acknowledged receipt of the letter from the Pestalozzi Trust.

You will see from the request that home educators have been very significantly prejudiced by the lack of consultation.

We now need your support

We now need your support to ensure that this request is successful.

HOW TO MAKE SURE YOUR VOICE IS HEARD

(a) Send a letter
You can do this in the following way:

1. You can copy, amend and sign a form letter that we have drafted and submit it to the DBE. Please only use this as your second option and if you really feel you can’t write a personalized letter. Find it attached as: Extension letter individuals form letter.docx [This is second best.]
2. Draw up your own letter. You can look at the template and the sample letter, and then use these as a basis to draw up your own request. Find them attached as: Extension Letter Individuals template.docx and Extension letter individuals sample.docx

We understand that everyone will not be comfortable with the second option, but drafting a personalized request will have the most impact. Please BCC the letter to homeschoolfreedom1996@gmail.com, which is the e-mail address we have created for the BELABill campaign. This allows the Trust to keep a record of the actual requests for extension. Thank you!

As a member of the public you don’t need to sound like an organization or format your response like an organization, although it is best to use the same basic format.

(b) Call Adv Rudman to confirm receipt
Once you have submitted your request for an extension please call Adv. Rudman on (012) 3573856 to confirm they have received your request. Take the opportunity to ask for the extension again. Please keep calling until you get a response.

(c) Tweet
As soon as you have done that, please tweet about your experience using #BELAbill, #homeschoolfreedom, #nocommentduringexams

(d) Please also post to the Pestalozzi Trust Facebook page

We understand that some of you feel intimidated and do not want to leave details with the DBE. That is very understandable. You will see that we have raised this with the DBE. There is no reason for those asking for extensions of time to mention that you are a home schooler. So if you are concerned then don’t mention you are a home schooler.
If you do not want to be identified please call Adv. Rudman (turn off you caller ID) explain your fears. Then e-mail us at the Trust and tell us that you called. We want to keep track of how many people have called the DBE. This will strengthen our case.

Regards,

Karin van Oostrum
(Executive Officer: Pestalozzi Trust)

Pestalozzi Trust (IT6377/98)
die regsfonds vir tuisonderwys en burgerlike onderwys
the legal defence fund for home and civil education

Posbus/ PO Box 12332 Queenswood Pretoria 0121 Tel: (012) 330 1337 Faks/ Fax: (011) 5075997
E-pos/ E-mail: defensor@pestalozzi.org Web: www.pestalozzi.org Bank: Pestalozzi Trust ABSA 4048112677 Hatfield 335545

[Attached: Extension Letter sent in by Pestalozzi Trust 2017.10.18, Extension letter individuals sample letter, Extension Letter Individuals template WRITE YOUR OWN, Extension letter individuals form letter]