What if you could only homeschool your child using a curriculum approved by the government?

What if an official could show up at your front door — without warning — to check whether your house is “good enough” for learning? And what if you were told you weren’t “qualified enough” to teach your own child?

These are not hypotheticals.

According to a report to Parliament on 24 July 2025,  the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) is preparing to launch an automated registration system for homeschoolers that includes exactly these kinds of checks:

• Curriculum approval
• Parental qualification requirements
• Random home visits

Even more concerning: this platform was developed without any consultation with the homeschooling community — despite the existence of a formal Joint Liaison Committee (JLC) where the WCED and homeschool representatives are meant to engage on matters affecting home education.

This kind of system goes far beyond what the law allows. The BELA Act does not give provinces the power to conduct home visits, prescribe curriculum, or require parental qualifications — yet these very measures are now being quietly introduced through provincial backdoors.

The WCED has also stated that this platform may be made available to other provinces.

We Need to Be Heard

Homeschooling families deserve better. If the state is going to regulate homeschooling, parents must be part of the conversation — not treated as an afterthought.

That’s why Cape Home Educators (CHE) sent a letter to Minister David Maynier on 27 July requesting clarity on the WCED's report to Parliament, and raised the same concerns at the National Task Team meeting on Home Education Regulations on 28 July.

But your voice is just as important.

To strengthen our case, we need to show that homeschooling families across the country are paying attention — and speaking up. That’s why we created a short, anonymous survey, and we’re asking every homeschooling family in South Africa to take a few minutes to complete it.

👉 Click here to complete the survey

Your voice matters.

Your right to direct your child’s education matters.

Let’s make sure the WCED — and every province — hears that.