2022 Elections – Homeschooling Families Issues

Homeschooling is governed by the Homeschooling Regulation outlined in the Education Act. The initial version of this regulation, written in 2018, required only that families aim to develop a diverse set of knowledge and skills in several areas—French, English, math, science and technology, social studies, art and personal development. This allowed families the freedom to customize the instruction and educational experience of each child to that child’s needs, challenges, strengths and interests.

However, changes made to  the regulation in 2019 under Jean-François Roberge, Minister of Education under the CAQ, have come to restrict this educational freedom. Now, all homeschooling families, irrespective of their particular needs, are required to cover what is taught in public school and to subject their children to ministerial exams. While some families choose to homeschool for personal reasons—spending more time with their children, flexibility in learning and the pleasure of discovering together—more than half of the families represented by AQED report having withdrawn their children from the school system due to lack of services, learning disabilities or negative experiences (bullying, failures, school phobia, etc.).

In either case, home education is the most appropriate choice when the parent is interested in and committed to taking charge of his or her children’s education, whether it is to help them rediscover their love of learning, pursue their interests or develop their skills. Restricting educational freedom in this way limits the family’s ability to experiment with different educational approaches to find the best fit for their child: the one that promotes the fullest expression of his or her right to an education.

AQED supports families in their home-education journey while also recognizing that fair and thoughtful guidelines are necessary to prevent certain situations of neglect. However, the current requirements are not based on any agreement between the Ministry of Education and homeschooling families, since the Minister refused to consult the Provincial Advisory Panel on Homeschooling during his entire mandate.

AQED is therefore asking the parties running for election to state their intention to impose an educational program for homeschooling, and to communicate their vision of the type of follow-up that should be put in place with home-educating families.