Home education in the post-communist countries: Case study of the Czech Republic

• Main Author: Yvona KOSTELECKÁ
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kura Publishing 2010-10-01
• Series: International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education
• Subjects: home education; homeschooling legislation; Czech Republic; post-communist countries
• Online Access: http://www.iejee.com/3_1_2010/29_44.pdf

The paper analyzes the emergence of home education in European post-communist countries after 1989. The case of the Czech Republic representing the development and characteristic features of home education in the whole region is studied in detail. Additionalinformation about homeschooling in other post-communist countries are provided wherever they are available in order to provide a more comprehensive picture of the issue. The driving forces and history of home education after 1989 are described. Current homeschooling legislation is analyzed with special attention paid to the processes of the legal enrolment of individuals into home education, supervision and assessment of educational results. The article concludes that despite the existence of country-specificcharacteristics, many features of home education in post-communist countries are similar. These generally include the rather strict regulation of home education and the high importance of schools as both gate-keeping and supervising institutions.