Katiebug_1976 Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Hi, I am wondering if there is anyone out there that is homeschooling in Africa, or knows about homeschooling requirements etc. for Africa, specifically the Niger area.?. I am looking down the road a ways at the possibility of going to Africa to do missions work and would like to get a feel for how life works there, especially where homeschooling is concerned. Thanks so much, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elm in NJ Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Apart from South Africa, I doubt if there is any homeschooling requirement in Africa, especially West Africa. Most people have probably never even heard of homeschooling, and a lot of kids don't even go to school, hence the high illiteracy rate. You can do whatever you want to do education-wise with your kids. I doubt anyone will ask you anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 My dear friend and her family are in Kenya right now serving as missionaries. They are still considered U.S. citizens and to my knowledge, she has no requirements, whatsoever, for schooling. She is more concerned with coming home on deputation and if she'll have to follow any regulations for the year that she's back home;) Just an FYI, if you go for missions work, be prepared to spend months away from your schoolwork when you first get there. And that'll be O.K. My friend and her family were in Kenya about 3 months before she even got their container. Then they were able to sort and get to work on school. This was actually a good thing, as it helped her to have time to settle into the different culture and the kids, too. Good luck! I don't know how similar Kenya would be to Niger but if you have any other questions, I might be able to help ... a little:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katiebug_1976 Posted March 21, 2009 Author Share Posted March 21, 2009 My dear friend and her family are in Kenya right now serving as missionaries. They are still considered U.S. citizens and to my knowledge, she has no requirements, whatsoever, for schooling. She is more concerned with coming home on deputation and if she'll have to follow any regulations for the year that she's back home;) Just an FYI, if you go for missions work, be prepared to spend months away from your schoolwork when you first get there. And that'll be O.K. My friend and her family were in Kenya about 3 months before she even got their container. Then they were able to sort and get to work on school. This was actually a good thing, as it helped her to have time to settle into the different culture and the kids, too. Good luck! I don't know how similar Kenya would be to Niger but if you have any other questions, I might be able to help ... a little:D Thank you for the info. I hadn't thought of the time it would take to get our stuff. We are just now starting to look into this, so it is still probably 3 or 4 years down the road (unless God decides different). I tend to like to know WAY in advance everything I can so I/we will be as prepared as possible for such a big change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Before you decide, I'd check the requirements for the specific country/ies you're looking at. Africa is huge with a variety of cultures, etc, and you'd want to be clear on that. Plus, find out if it applies to foreign nationals as well. Laura Corin used to homeschool in China, where it is illegal, because the government only applied the law to Chinese citizens (that's not how she put it--something about they didn't care about foreign nationals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1bassoon Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Katie - We have friends who homeschool in Niger! PM me, and I'll put you in touch with them. I do know they use primarily Sonlight materials - they are very, very isolated where they minister. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Thank you for the info. I hadn't thought of the time it would take to get our stuff. I have home educated on the road a lot, including for four months in Scotland before our container arrived. If you are careful, you can fit a decent amount of home education materials into a suitcase. For two children, I managed to fit it into a rollaboard type case. This was slightly pared down curriculum, but not skeletal. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Anna Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 In my experience (Kenya and Tanzania) public libraries do not exist (even if one of the national languages is English so that it might be helpful) and internet connections (not to mention electricity, if you happen to be on a grid) are not dependable. My suggestion would be to make sure you have everything you want on paper and with you (or in the container). Some missions agencies have homeschooling helps on the field - the one we served with did, though our dd wasn't school-age at the time. Is the national language French in Niger? If you're looking for an MFL for the dc, that would be a good option . . . Also know that you'll probably have a network of acquaintances in the ex-pat group who are dealing with a lot of the same issues. While you might be isolated on station, you'll likely be able to get support when you come into town from other homeschoolers as well as other missionaries, if you seek out such relationships. Have fun as you begin to plan through it all! A lot of the time I wish I could be over there. (Then I get some Blue Bunny ice cream from the local Hy-Vee and am not so sure anymore . . . :lol:) God does everything In His Time! Mama Anna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katiebug_1976 Posted March 22, 2009 Author Share Posted March 22, 2009 In my experience (Kenya and Tanzania) public libraries do not exist (even if one of the national languages is English so that it might be helpful) and internet connections (not to mention electricity, if you happen to be on a grid) are not dependable. My suggestion would be to make sure you have everything you want on paper and with you (or in the container). Some missions agencies have homeschooling helps on the field - the one we served with did, though our dd wasn't school-age at the time. Is the national language French in Niger? If you're looking for an MFL for the dc, that would be a good option . . . Also know that you'll probably have a network of acquaintances in the ex-pat group who are dealing with a lot of the same issues. While you might be isolated on station, you'll likely be able to get support when you come into town from other homeschoolers as well as other missionaries, if you seek out such relationships. Have fun as you begin to plan through it all! A lot of the time I wish I could be over there. (Then I get some Blue Bunny ice cream from the local Hy-Vee and am not so sure anymore . . . :lol:) God does everything In His Time! Mama Anna I know what you mean about the ice cream. I will deffinately miss Braums! I have my doubting moments, but I try to remind myself that God is in control, and if He wants us in Africa, then giving up some of the things that I would rather have access to will be well worth it. It, whaterver "it" turns out to be, is going to be a great adventure as long as God is in control! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 I have a friend who is homeschooling in Africa. She posts with me on another hs board, but if you would like, I would be glad to contact her with your e-mail so the two of you could correspond. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elm in NJ Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 (edited) I homeschooled in Sierra Leone (West Africa) for 8 months. We used Calvert. We shipped bikes, books, food, computers, batteries , toys everything a few months early and everything was waiting for us when we got there. Forget about public libraries, Freetown had 1 but all the books were really old and even though the kids joined the children's library, we got books and dvds from the British Council Library. It is a different culture altogether. African governments have enough on their plates to worry about homeschooling. Even in countries where there is 'free schooling', a lot of kids don't go to school. Trust me, the majority of people are wondering where the next meal is going to come from, not whether you are homeschooling or not. Edited March 22, 2009 by Elm in NJ error Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 It's a mistake to think of "Africa" as a homogenous culture with uniform laws, and it would also be a mistake to think of the entire continent as so chaotic so that there is no government oversight. The point is that if education is not mandatory, then no one cares if you are educating your child at home as there's no breaking of a law there. There are some articles about homeschooling in Kenya on the HSLDA website, and one was recently in the Standard (from Kenya). In my experience (Kenya and Tanzania) public libraries do not exist (even if one of the national languages is English so that it might be helpful) and internet connections (not to mention electricity, if you happen to be on a grid) are not dependable. There are public libraries, but they range in quality and are generally in urban areas. There was an article published today about a fantastic-sounding librarian in Nairobi, and another about new urban libraries. There may also be private libraries such as the British Library, and I've read about a homeschooling library in Kenya. Internet access has dramatically increased in the past few years. But this does depend on whether you are in an urban or rural area. Cell phones are very widespread. Landlines are more problematic. Several mobile service providers offer wireless internet modems for $100 or less and offer per-minute browsing. Wireless devices like Blackberry and iPhone are another option (I think Blackberry plans are running about $25/mo in Kenya). Public internet cafes are common in urban areas and offer cheap internet browsing (about $1/hour) and international phone calls (around 5c/min to the US). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 (edited) Before you decide, I'd check the requirements for the specific country/ies you're looking at. Africa is huge with a variety of cultures, etc, and you'd want to be clear on that. Plus, find out if it applies to foreign nationals as well. In South Africa, the law applies to all children resident in the country, irrespective of nationality. The law also stipulates that you must register with the provincial education department, unless you have good reasons (just cause) not to do so. However, the restrictions that the education departments place on home education as preconditions for registration are all considered "just cause" and the result is that about 98% of SA homeschoolers are NOT registered with the education departments, but choose to be members of a legal defense fund instead. You might think that the government would have "better things to attend to", but still homeschooling is regularly in the spotlight as an easy ideological target. It's a mistake to think of "Africa" as a homogenous culture with uniform laws, and it would also be a mistake to think of the entire continent as so chaotic so that there is no government oversight. Indeed. It would be best to contact people in the country (Niger or neighbouring countries) to find out what the educational laws are. If you contact people in the specific area within the country that you are planning to go, you will know what the infrastructure is like in that area regarding delivery of containers, electricity supply (or access to generators), electronic communication, internationally sponsored libraries, fellow homeschoolers, etc. If you're going with a mission organization, they should be able to answer some of these questions. Edited March 22, 2009 by Hannah I'll learn to proofread for spelling before posting one day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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