Do your kids homeschool here? Or are you looking to have your kids homeschooled here?

[Louy]

Hi all,

I am currently working on a project that looks into the homeschooling culture in Hong Kong. I learnt that a lot of expats are actually having trouble squeezing their kids in international schools in Hong Kong because these schools have simply reached saturation point. And to my knowledge, quite a lot of kids of expats in town are homeschooled as a result. But of course some go for homeschooling simply for the merits of this mode of education.

I would therefore like to see if any of you, your kids or someone you know are actually homeschooled here in Hong Kong or are considering this option here and I hope we can dig deeper into this topic later!

THANKS HEAPS! I look forward to hearing from you! Anything homeschooling-related is welcome!

 

[penguinsix]

I think homeschooling is technically illegal in Hong Kong, isn't it?

 

[Louy]

Thank you so much for your reply. You have made a very good point.

There have actually been much debate on this topic. While local students need to go through the 9-year compulsory education scheme, it seems non-local students are exempt from it.

There's in fact a meetup group for expat homeschoolers in Hong Kong, but the organisation declined to talk to me further on the topic, which actually makes me want to find out the truth even more.

I am very eager to find out if scarcity of placements in international schools is the only reason driving expat families to do homeschooling. And on GeoExpat.com, there are actually many expats asking if they are allowed to homeschool. So, I think there are actually a lot of grey areas in the local homeschooling rules and I hope what I will be finding out will be of use to all the expat buddies here in Hong Kong.

So, please let me know - no matter you are already homeschooling your kids in HK, considering to homeschool your kids in HK or have anything homeschooling-related to share, PLEASE LET ME KNOW! THANKS HEAPS!

 

[penguinsix]

I'm not sure "exempt" is the correct word. I think "sometimes ignored" might be more accurate, or "rare exceptions allowed".

Did you see this file?

http://files.meetup.com/296523/Legalities of HK Homeschooling.doc

 

[0ze_Kid1]

I spent three hours on the phone with the education department trying to tell them I could not get DD into a school and what did I need to do to homeschool. It is not illegibly (so I was told), if I chose to not send my child to school then that was "my business". Based on this I figured I could enroll in a home school programme back home and then if ever any legal 'action' was taken I could prove that they were enrolled in a school programme -- just not in HK.

Also, without ID cards I doubt that they would do much! My kids only really exsit here through their dependent visa (although I did finally get her in a school so didn't need to follow through on this plan).

Good luck with your research (and you may not quote me within it -- sorry).

 

[carms1]

I think homeschooling is technically illegal in Hong Kong, isn't it?

I sent numerous emails back and fore to the education department (and phone calls) re homeschooling our two boys due to their special needs and no school in HK having a place for them...
The reply was that it is totally illegal to home school. Whether they are expat kids or local, you have to have an exceptional excuse as to why they are not attending school...

My argument was that we couldn't get them into a school that could accommodate their needs, and the ones that were slightly more compatible were so expensive we couldn't afford it!!

We have now managed to find a really good school for our boys but I'm still waiting on a reply from the government re education in Hong Kong for special needs children....so watch this space

 

[Hehe]

Also, without ID cards I doubt that they would do much! My kids only really exsit here through their dependent visa (although I did finally get her in a school so didn't need to follow through on this plan).

I am wondering: dependent visa holder (no matter adults or kids) should have HK ID cards also right? Why your child has no HK ID card?

 

[carms1]

I am wondering: dependent visa holder (no matter adults or kids) should have HK ID cards also right? Why your child has no HK ID card?

under the age of 12 years do not need a HK ID card. Thats what we were told by the ID office

 

[penguinsix]

If you are not a permanent resident your under 12s cannot get an ID card, even if you want one for them. Annoying as it makes it hard to use the e-channel lanes at immigration.

 

[ameey]

If you are not a permanent resident your under 12s cannot get an ID card, even if you want one for them. Annoying as it makes it hard to use the e-channel lanes at immigration.

Under 12 you can get the ID card. The only way to get it is to apply for the ID card at THE SAME TIME you apply for their HKSAR passport.
However, even with the ID card you cannot use e-channel lanes with your child if he/she is under 12 for security reasons. Child ID cards under 12 yrs of age do not have photos. You need to use their passport and ID card together for ID checking purposes through immigration (b/c the passport has photos for them to check).