“Wunderlich against Germany” – A family from Hesse, complained before the European court of human rights, because the police picked up their children. Other parents are against compulsory education for all.
April 2017: The Hessian family Wunderlich and their children in front of the European court of human rights
“Of the 29. August 2013, in the morning at ten after eight 40 representatives of the authorities, stood in front of the door, for us, that was the scariest day,” says Dirk Wunderlich. The police and the Jugendamt took the four children from the family, and brought them into a home. From the files of the parents learned of the father of the DW reported that the authority claimed is danger in delay, because he should have told his neighbours a year ago, that he will kill his children rather than the school wanted to send. “Cheese,” says Wunderlich: “imagine that!” He called the allegations “constructed”, to take fast-tracked the children from the family and the school’s duty to enforce.
Three weeks later, the children came back to the parents. Their performance was comparable with their peers. The family she had taught using a Christian correspondence school. The parents had said no full custody, you have forbidden them to France to leave, whimsical. There, Homeschooling is allowed as well as in Anglo-Saxon and other countries, parents can teach their children – subject to certain conditions and controls – home.
Mandatory program: Starting at about six years of education is compulsory for children in Germany – the Details of the rules of the Federal States
Under pressure, the Wunderlich’s finally agreed to go to school in the state of Hesse. But the authorities intervened at the time, so massive in their parents ‘ rights, however, they have complained before the European court of human rights in Strasbourg. Had found 2006 that the German compulsory education with the European law was compatible. The UN special Rapporteur Vernor Munoz warned in the same year: “The promotion and development of a system of public, state-funded education should not have the suppression of forms of Education that do not require the presence in a school.”
In the case of violation of the compulsory education: fines and imprisonment
In the whole of Germany since 1919, all of the children and young people must attend school. In most States, compulsory education is enshrined in the country Constitution. “A General exemption from compulsory schooling for educational or religious reasons is not permitted,” said the conference of education Ministers (KMK) of the DW. Compulsory education did not limit the fundamental rights of parents and students “in an improper way”. The only exceptions are serious illnesses, children of diplomats, or showmen.
The violation of the compulsory education is in most States as a misdemeanor, which is punishable by a fine. In the state of Hesse in prison can be penalties imposed for up to six months. German authorities and courts stress that the compulsory education serves to convey all the democratic values of the basic law. They ensure that no one secrete in parallel societies, or the dialogue with dissenters lock. Dirk Wunderlich rejects the suspicion of foreclosure: the children of home school parents are often in Clubs, active in his children to be interconnected throughout the site and beyond with a wide variety of people, for this he had presented to the family court of many witnesses.
What do parents have against the school?
Dirk and Petra Wunderlich are gardeners, have a high school diploma, both went to school – “not reluctantly,” says Dirk Wunderlich. Today, however, the teacher could no longer teach in the school, the children would have to make the most of the outside of the school, to say the Wunderlich’s, in addition, they wanted to live closely together as a family: “You learn the best in family Association – in everything that you need to live.” They have always offered to let the youth and education office at any time control.
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Questions to Dirk Wunderlich: Why shouldn’t your kids go to school? (MP3)
Their children went only three-quarters of a year to the school. “You had a headache from this noise, and so many homework have you, that nothing more remained of the day,” recalls Dirk Wunderlich, “a lost year for all of us.” Thereafter, the children remained at home, today, only the youngest daughter, the school is liable.
The decision from Strasbourg, says Dirk Wunderlich, have for his family no practical impact, the threat of the authorities “no risk”. A further Signal from Strasbourg to the German school authorities that you did everything right, would he sad: “it is Unfortunate it is for the other parents in Germany who teach their children themselves.”
Homeschooling, Unschooling, Free-Learners
How many parents are affected? “Estimates indicate that nationwide, between 500 and 1000 cases of Homeschooling,” writes the KMK: “but There are no reliable Figures.” Not all parents who let their children’s home learning, call it Homeschooling. Some of it comes to “Unschooling”, no schooling. So the see the growing movement of “free learners”, says Thomas stone (all names changed), a father of three sons. Together with other parents of the stone wanted a reform school grounds, which is entirely geared to the needs of the children, but failed.
After getting Up chess instead of school: Jacob and Anton Stein (name changed) to learn without a curriculum
Because he wants to leave the children entirely to their own rhythm of learning, accompanied by the freelancer now, Jacob (11), Anton (9) and Max (5) at home. He works early in the Morning. You don’t need to read six out of the bed, the boy, watch documentaries, play, research about polar expeditions, or the universe, and talk very much to each other, reported the father. He admits: “This is insanely exhausting. They fight a lot.” How exactly do you bypass the compulsory education, he does not want to say. Generally, children in Germany are no longer obliged to attend school if they live more than 50 percent of the year abroad.
“Compulsory education does not protect against extremism“
The stone would have made a lot of thoughts, whether your children made the decision to outsiders, remembers Thomas stone. Football and other clubs and courses have both many contacts and were also often with friends. The school is not, in his eyes, the “melting pot” in which all groups and layers mixed. If this mixture is the criterion: “Then I wouldn’t have to ban any amount of Catholic boarding schools immediately, because it’s happening.”
The family stone (Name changed) on educational tour: With the parents to the Museum instead of in the classroom
To the question of dealing with dissidents and democratic culture, he argues, in spite of the compulsory education, there is more abuse, Nazi families, and other extremists: “If we compare, in studies of Germany, England, USA or France in the dissemination of prejudices and the like, are distributed in all of these companies are more or less the same.” Learning Free is not safe for every child and every family a good model, and people would be traumatized by the school. A friendly primary school teacher reported: “I’m miserable administration, learning nothing from me. I am glad, if the are quiet.”
“The right to be without a school, a normal kid”
Your children the stone to give the basics, the tools, with which you can the world is opening up, says stone. The Internet was not a lack of product Knowledge. If the children wanted to make education degrees, you could do that in all of the länder. Experience of other showed free learners that children can do it, if you really wanted to. “But maybe I am when the 16, not so relaxed”, he thinks.
Prohibited In Germany: the children of The family stone (Name changed) to learn not in school but at home
And if his sons want to go to school? “Then you go there, absolutely.” He wanted an open System, where students choose where they go, and teachers could inspire with more freedom and less forced their students better. Thomas stone does not want to abolish the schools, the friends of the children were “super kids”: “It is simply a question of the right to do even without school, a normal child will be in Germany.” The could not be in Europe, “you have to solve in Germany”.