1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,600 Speaker 1: Now homeschooling is more popular than ever. Data show that 2 00:00:03,680 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: eleven four hundred students are enrolled in home education or 3 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:08,920 Speaker 1: we're at least at the end of last year. Now 4 00:00:08,920 --> 00:00:10,840 Speaker 1: that is double what it was twenty five years ago. 5 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 1: Cynthia Hancocks is the government liaison for the National Council 6 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:17,320 Speaker 1: of Home Educators and is with us morning Cynthia, Good 7 00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:18,920 Speaker 1: morning Heather. Why is it so popular? 8 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:22,599 Speaker 2: Oh, we look, there's lots of reasons and it always 9 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:26,960 Speaker 2: has been. The Ministry doesn't gather data on why people 10 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:29,320 Speaker 2: choose to home educate, but the National Council of Home 11 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:32,720 Speaker 2: Educators does ask that question in our annual survey, and 12 00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:37,120 Speaker 2: the majority of respondents talk about things like desiring a 13 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:41,879 Speaker 2: closer family units, family values more central, wanting a higher quality, 14 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:45,640 Speaker 2: tailored arning education for their children. And there's a variety 15 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:48,199 Speaker 2: of other reasons. It might be special education needs that 16 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:52,560 Speaker 2: aren't being met in school, or wanting to avoid bullying 17 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:55,200 Speaker 2: or negative aspects of the school system. It can be 18 00:00:55,200 --> 00:01:00,480 Speaker 2: because their children are involved in activities and the lifestyle 19 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:03,080 Speaker 2: of homeschool and gives them more flexibility for the sports 20 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:05,760 Speaker 2: or the travel or the whatever it is that might 21 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:06,400 Speaker 2: be involved. 22 00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:08,000 Speaker 1: So one of the reasons. No, I mean, there's a 23 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:10,080 Speaker 1: whole bunch of reasons available obviously, But is any one 24 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:13,200 Speaker 1: of these actually driving, in particular driving the increase that 25 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:14,399 Speaker 1: we've seen in recent times. 26 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:20,200 Speaker 2: Well, again, it's speculative, really, but there's been a lot 27 00:01:20,240 --> 00:01:24,160 Speaker 2: of changes in the education system over the last you know, 28 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:28,039 Speaker 2: six to eight years, and a lot of families are 29 00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:30,560 Speaker 2: just not that happy with what is going on. 30 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:33,560 Speaker 1: And when you say that, Untha, are you talking about 31 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 1: the actual learning that the kids are doing, Like a 32 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:39,200 Speaker 1: parent's looking at it and saying, oh, little Johnny is 33 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:40,760 Speaker 1: not learning enough in maths, I'm gonna have to pull 34 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:43,640 Speaker 1: them out. Or is it what little Johnny is learning? 35 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:46,440 Speaker 1: And by that I mean maybe some controversial stuff that 36 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:47,160 Speaker 1: people don't love. 37 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:51,360 Speaker 2: I'd say it's a combination of those things. In particular, 38 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:54,000 Speaker 2: there's a lot of concern about the quality of education. 39 00:01:54,920 --> 00:01:57,640 Speaker 2: Content is a factive for some people, but it is 40 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:01,640 Speaker 2: quality or the outcomes edge children are experiencing. Now, I'm 41 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 2: not knocking the education system as such. There's some fabulous teachers, 42 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:10,280 Speaker 2: there's some fabulous schools. However, the overall thing is that 43 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:14,680 Speaker 2: we've got stretched resources, we've got stress teachers, we've got 44 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:17,960 Speaker 2: an increase in children with additional needs and the systems 45 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 2: not keeping up with that. So there's a lot of 46 00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:23,080 Speaker 2: things that end up having a flow on effect to 47 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:26,440 Speaker 2: the quality of education that some children are experiencing. 48 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:28,280 Speaker 1: Say, very quickly, what do you make of the fact 49 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:30,359 Speaker 1: that if kids are homeschooled they are not allowed to 50 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:32,760 Speaker 1: get medals if they do well at those competitions. 51 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:36,840 Speaker 2: Well, it's very inequitable, isn't it very unfair? If you 52 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:39,799 Speaker 2: look at the Rights of the child the UN Convention 53 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:41,840 Speaker 2: on the Rights of the Child, all children have the 54 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:49,680 Speaker 2: right to participate in cultural, recreational, et cetera activities, and 55 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:52,280 Speaker 2: in fact the state has an obligation under that convention 56 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:54,680 Speaker 2: to ensure that all children have access to that and 57 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 2: it's not dependent on where they're getting educated. So really 58 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:01,840 Speaker 2: it is completely inequitable. Students can't get medals they burned. 59 00:03:01,919 --> 00:03:04,760 Speaker 1: Yep, it's ridiculous, Cynthia, Thanks very much, Cynthia Hancock's government 60 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:07,200 Speaker 1: liaison for the National Council of Home Educators New Zealand. 61 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:10,400 Speaker 2: For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to 62 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:13,720 Speaker 2: News Talks a'b from six am weekdays, or follow the 63 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:15,200 Speaker 2: podcast on iHeartRadio.