About two years after we began homeschooling, I went to the Department of Education office here in Quezon City and inquired about the PEPTest. It was a very discouraging experience because aside from being sent from one person to another, I was questioned several times if I had the qualifications to teach or if I was running my own school. The worst was having someone tell me that my children are classified as out-of-school youths because they are not going to school. Online casino Ireland. ###
I felt that this was too extreme a classification and too demeaning. According to the National Statistical Coordination Board, out-of-school youths(OSY) are defined as boys and girls who belong to any of these categories; a) 7-14 years old who are not enrolled; b) 15-24 years old who are not enrolled, not employed and not a tertiary level graduate.
I believe that in the two categories “not enrolled” means not studying at all. I cannot accept that my children will be termed OSY’s because they are enrolled in a school, although they don’t go to school, but they are studying everyday.
Sometimes, people also believe that homeschooling is similar to the home study program of the Department of Education. While I don’t have the exact details of what this is, I know that this is not the way we homeschool.
Another category I’ve heard which is really bad is that homeschoolers are rejects. Meaning rejected from regular schools either because of bad grades or uncontrollable attitudes. For homeschoolers, it’s actually the other way around, we rejected those regular schools in exchange for the privilege of educating our children at home.
One of the most offensive, at least for me, is to say that parents who homeschool cannot afford to send their children to school. If money were the issue, then wouldn’t it be easier for parents to just send their children to public schools?
At this point in time, homeschooling as we know and do it, is just at the beginning of being accepted by our Department of Education. We are either classified as Alternative Learners or Independent Learners, or maybe even Distance Education students.
Be encouraged, because now there are several homeschool providers in our country. Many homeschoolers have come together and are supporting each other in this endeavor. I would encourage all homeschoolers to be a member of HAPI – Homeschool Association of the Philippine Islands. Aside from providing a venue for homeschoolers to get together, HAPI is also working towards the recognition of homeschoolers in our Department of Education.
We must not give up on this nor should we let these categories discourage us from pursuing what we know is best for our children. We parents have the primary responsibility of training and educating our children during their formative years. And that statement is quoted from The Family Code of the Philippines (Article 20) and Articles XIV and XV of the 1997 Philippine Constitution. Check that out here.
Michelle Padrelanan
Hello, I'm Michelle and I love to encourage others through my blog. I write about homeschool, books and family life. I enjoy testing out products and giving my honest opinion about it. If I'm not in front of my laptop, I can usually be found watching TV or having my favorite frappuccino at Starbucks with my favorite Mary Higgins Clark book.
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