Homeschooling and distance education in Australia
In Australia, homeschooling is becoming increasingly popular.[1][2][3] It is legal in all Australian states and territories,[2][4] with each having its own regulations around the practice.[4] Distance education (commonly known as external studies in Australia[5]) is also prevalent for Australians who live in remote, rural areas.[6][7] There are more than a dozen universities in Australia that support distance education for tertiary studies.[8] Some Australians switch between distance education and classroom teaching.[7] The number of homeschooled children and students who take distance education in Australia is approximately 30,000.[4] The number of registered homeschoolers alone was 21,437 in 2019; this corresponds to 0.5 per cent of the total school population of Australia.[3] In the 2010s, the average growth rate of the practice amounted to 9.4 per cent per year.[3] The largest Christian school of distance education in Australia is the Australian Christian College, which has over 1,700 families with 4,000 students enrolled.[4] Homeschooling generally enjoys a very good reputation in the Australian media and is widely seen as a flexible alternative form of education with good socialization opportunities in the community.[2]
History
Homeschooling
In 1995, Roland Meighan of Nottingham School of Education estimated some 20,000 families homeschooling in Australia.
Distance education
Motivations for homeschooling
Reasons for Australian people to choose homeschooling are often lifestyle choices; some people choose to home educate so that they can travel and spend better time with their children.
Organizations
In Australia, many organizations exist to help parents and teachers with home education.[2] Every Australian state has at least one support group for home education.[2] The Home Education Association, Inc (HEA) is Australia's national advocacy organisation.[18][19] It is a not-for-profit, member-funded charity which began in 2001 to support home educators across Australia.[20] The association is run by volunteers from the home education community and offers a free phone helpline and registration support in each state or territory. The HEA does not produce educational material but offers substantial discounts to its members to third-party educational curriculum.[10][non-primary source needed] The HEA advocates in the interest of home educators in all states and territories, with each state regulated by different Education Acts.[21]
One of the most popular schools for distance learning in Western Australia is the School of Isolated and Distance Education (SIDE).
See also
References
- ^ English, Rebecca (14 April 2019). "Homeschooling is on the rise in Australia. Who is doing it and why?". The Conversation. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
- ^ a b c d e "Why Is Homeschooling Growing in Australia?". HSLDA. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
- ^ a b c "Australia Homeschooling Trends Over the Last Decade". HSLDA. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
- ^ a b c d "Australia". HSLDA. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
- .
- ^ Hennessy, Kate (18 April 2020). "Home schooling: 'Everyone's finding their feet and we need to be gentle with each other'". The Guardian.
- ^ ProQuest 231101077.
- ^ "Online And Distance Education in Australia: Explained | Study in Australia • OzStudies". www.ozstudies.com. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
- ^ "Education Otherwise" (PDF). Education Otherwise. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-01. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
- ^ a b c "HEA Membership Benefit Inclusions". Home Education Association, Inc. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- ^ "EDUCATION AND TRAINING REFORM ACT 2006 (NO 24 OF 2006)". Austlii.edu.au. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
- ^ "Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority". Vrqa.vic.gov.au. 2016-03-16. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
- ^ "Untitled Document". Archived from the original on March 12, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
- ^ "Home Education Association". Hea.asn.au. Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
- ^ a b c d "Correspondence School of Victoria – its first 60 years". DEHANZ. 2019-06-11. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
- ^ a b Morrow, Michelle (2019-05-20). "Homeschooling In Australia - What, Why & How". My Homeschool. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
- PMID 35027020.
- ^ "LinkedIn".
- ^ "Home-schooling is on the rise after Covid remote learning period". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ "Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)".
- ^ "HEA Australia State Support". Retrieved 5 February 2022.
Further reading
- Reiach, Stephen; Cassidy, Virginie; Averbeck, Clemens (22 December 2012). "The evolution of distance education in Australia: past, present, future". Quarterly Review of Distance Education. 13 (4): 247–253. ProQuest 1356976073.