Pestalozzi Trust

(Beskikbaar in Afrikaans)

(IT6377/98)

the legal defence fund for home education

PO Box 12332 QUEENSWOOD 0121 Tel: (012) 330 1337; Fax: (011) 507 5997
Web: www.pestalozzi.org E-mail: [email protected]

Stay home with confidence

Teach your children yourself, in your own home and environment
Educate them according to your own religious and cultural traditions and beliefs
Do so openly, legally and without unjustified interference from authorities
Conserve this freedom for your grandchildren as well

Join the Pestalozzi Trust

What is the Pestalozzi Trust?

Our Goal

In the Pestalozzi Trust, thousands of

South African homeschoolers work
together to protect one anothers
freedom to homeschool. This means
that they can educate their children at
home lawfully and without unjustified
interference.

The Trust was established by a group

of Christians to protect the rights and
freedoms of all families to educate
their children at home according to
their
own
religious
and/or
philosophical convictions and cultural
traditions.

At the same time they ensure this

freedom also for their grandchildren.

Our task

Keep politics out of home

education
th

On 20 October 2005 Mr Siphosezwe

Masango, MEC for education in Mpumalanga, addressed a meeting of
what he termed fellow combatants. It
was a congress of the teachers union
SADTU.
Masango encouraged teachers to indoctrinate children to be properly
formed and moulded to our revolutionary ideas.
You may, like many homeschoolers,
have no interest in politics, but officials
like these assure us that politics have
an interest in you and especially
your children. Also, it is not only children in state schools who are subjected to this.
th
May 2004 Ms Mmule
On 20
Madonsela, senior officials responsible for home education in Gauteng, told
a meeting of homeschoolers in Johannesburg: Education is a political
game.
Her boss, Ms Tidimalo Nkotoe, stated
th
in a Carte Blanche programme on 10
April 2004 that home education must
be controlled because uniformity is the
goal: We are gunning for the same

Who owns the

Pestalozzi Trust?
The Pestalozzi Trust is a non-profit
Trust governed by a Board of
Trustees. It is funded from the fee that
member families pay and a small
number of unsolicited donations.
Funds may only be used to protect the
freedom of education.

a. Prevention of conflict
We prevent conflict between the
authorities and all homeschoolers by
promoting
knowledge
of
home
education and by negotiating better
policy on home education.
b. Conflict resolution
We keep our members out of court by
assisting member families who do get
into conflict with the authorities. We
strive to resolve conflict before a court
case becomes necessary.
c. Defence
Should our members nevertheless
have to appear in court, we carry the
cost of a competent legal team and
the necessary expert witnesses.

The financial statements of the Trust

are
audited
annually
by
an
independent auditing firm.

critical outcomes. We are gunning for

the same South African citizen.
In the past the Trust accepted that
unlawful interference by overzealous
officials was motivated by ignorance.
Explicit congress decisions by the
governing party now reveal, however,
that education is considered an
instrument of the ideological struggle.
In August 2012, the Minister of
Education, referring to the law and
policy on home education, announced
in Parliament a review of this law
and policy with the view of providing

for Home Education as part of the

formal schooling system.
In 2013, three full time posts for senior
staff were created in the Education
Department
to
develop
these
documents.
It is clear that the trend towards
greater interference must at last bear
fruit in the form of increased pressure
on homeschooling to become like
school.
The Pestalozzi Trust will oppose such
pressure in the courts on behalf of any
member family.

PLEASE NOTE: The Trust cannot

represent members in civil cases
where the State is not a party e.g. in
conflicts between parents about home
education.
The Trust reserves the right to assist
such members at its own discretion if
the case affects the rights of its
members generally.
It has, for example, provided expert
testimony in civil cases, which has
often persuaded the other party to
withdraw.

Membership application - Legal Defense Fund for Home Education

( The Pestalozzi Trust will treat this information with absolute confidentiality)
EVERY question must be answered IN FULL by parent or legal guardian using black ink. Do not staple correspondence to this
application. Associate members complete only numbers 1 and 2, and sign the form on page 4.
1.Father:Title

Names

Mother: Title

Surname

Names

Surname
ID/passport of father

Postal Address

or custodial parent:
Nearest police station

Postal Code
Phone: Home
Work

Province

(
(

)
)

Language preference:

Cell1

Email:

Cell2
Afr

Eng

The curriculum, programme, or approach we use is:

We homeschool since (date: ddmm/yyyy).

2.Renewal Application (been a member previously)

3. Information on educators
Please provide the names of both parents, as well as
the name of anyone else who provides education or
supervision to your children on a regular basis.

Education
(use abbreviation)

school
not completed
10 Std 10
D Diploma
B Bachelor
M Master
Other (fill in)

To be eligible for membership of the Trust, parents,

legal guardians, grandparents or siblings must personally do at least 60% of the home education

First name

We heard about the Trust from:

OR: New Application (never been a member)

Surname

Employment
schedule
Indicate the
times of the day
this person
starts and stops
working.
Remember to
indicate a.m.
and p.m. If
none, put "NA".

Work location
If this person is
employed, is it
in the home or
out of the
home?

In

Out

Teaching
schedule
Indicate the
times of the
day when this
person will
start and stop
instruction.
Include a.m.
and p.m.
hours.

% of
Teaching
What percentage of
the teaching will this
person do?
Column
must total
100%

Father
Mother
Grandparent
Other
4. Include information on all children you are planning to teach at home. Generally, we cannot protect your right to educate any children other
than those who are educated in their own home. If any learners are not part of your family, please explain on a separate sheet.
Please list all minor learners who are or will be
Date of Birth
What is the legal relationship between each educator in the family and each child?
educated at home during the year.
(If child's surname differs from parent's, please indicate)

First Name

Surname

B = Biological / Adoptive parent

V = Legal guardian (appointed by a court)

S = Step parent

G = No legal relationship

Father

Mother

Grandparent

/ /
/ /
/ /
/ /
/ /
/ /
/ /
IMPORTANT: YOU MUST COMPLETE AND SIGN THE FOLLOWING SIDE
Questions? Call us at (012) 330 1337

Office use only

Payment type and date

Date of postmark

Date accepted

Alliance / category

Accepted by

Membership #

Date of arrival
Fee & period

QB date done

Entered into database

QB invoice no

Letter of Accept.
How

Date

Ackn Rect

Date

How

who

Other

5.
Is there any time during traditional school hours (i.e. 7:30 a.m. - 2:00
Yes
No
p.m.) when your learners will not be under the supervision of the parents/adults
listed in Question 4 overleaf?
6.
If Yes, please explain. If another adult is providing the supervision,
give his/her name, contact details, relationship to the child, and where the
supervision will take place.
7.
Has any legal action been threatened or brought against your home
education or anyone associated with it, or have you contacted or been
contacted by any school or education official, social worker or other government
official concerning your children, your home education, or absence from
institutional school?
8.
If Yes, please describe the threat, legal action, or contact (by whom
and when). Include copies of correspondence, legal proceedings, etc.
9.
Have you been investigated for or charged with child abuse, neglect,
or any other related charges?
10.
If Yes, explain (on a separate sheet of paper if necessary) when the
investigation occurred, if there was a finding of neglect or abuse, and if it has
been fully resolved. Attach copies of any court documents.
11.
Do any of the children being educated at home have any special
learning needs?
If Yes, we may be able to provide you with information that may be helpful.
BY SIGNING THIS APPLICATION WE AGREE TO:
1.
Exercise diligence in teaching our children in a responsible
5.
Co-operate fully in the defence of any legal action
way.
(threatened or otherwise) which may be brought against us in relation
to the home education of our children and provide any and all
2.
Establish specific objectives for the education of our
information and assistance to the legal council who are appointed by
children.
the Trust to defend us.
3.
Keep minimal records of the progress of each child's
6.
Contribute to the Trust the amount appropriate to our
education.
category of membership in one annual amount or, if paid in monthly
4.
Notify the Trust promptly of any threatened or actual legal
instalments, by means of a stop order.
papers received by us in relation to our home education.

(Note: Both parents must sign, except in the case of single parents, where the custodial parent must sign.)
Signature

Date

Signature

Date

PLEASE NOTE:
The Trust does not provide legal representation for members in matters involving divorce, child custody, or related domestic affairs. However,
the Trust is able to provide information that may be important to parties in such matters.
The Trust reserves the right to refuse any application and to revoke membership where information has been misrepresented in the
application.
You must submit your payment or a copy of your stop order with your application. Date the first payment on a stop order for the first day of the
month following the date that is six weeks after sending in your application. Use the postal address only if you have no other choice, please.
Membership does not commence on receipt of the application (processing an application may take from three to six weeks). Membership
commences on the first day of the month following the date on which the application has been reviewed, approved, and entered into our
membership database or on the date of first payment on a stop order, if that is later. No refund is available once accepted into membership.
You will receive notification of approval of your application as well as a member's package. If we cannot approve your application we will return
your payment and send you a letter of explanation. If you do not hear from us within six weeks after you sent in your application, please
contact our office at [email protected] to inquire about the status of your application. NB: It does happen that faxes or e-mails
or ordinary mail sometimes are not delivered for reasons unknown to anyone, even if your fax machine or e-mail shows it to have
been sent/received.
Membership is valid for a period of 12 months from the date of commencement (see above) unless a) the family should stop home education,
in which case it ceases automatically; or b) the member discontinues payment of fees, in which case it ceases with the last payment.
Categories of membership
Standard Membership. The membership fee is R1080 per family per annum. Families who join within 3 months of starting home schooling
pay a discount fee of R960. Families who joined before the 1st of February, 2008, and whose membership remains uninterrupted, receive an
additional discount. A further additional community discount is granted to members of home schooling support groups registered with the Trust
(contact us for particulars). The membership fee may be paid once-off or by stop order.
Associate Membership. Associate membership is granted to non-homeschoolers who want to support the Trust, and to homeschoolers
whose children are not yet or no longer of school-going age. The associate membership fee is R560 per annum.
PLEASE NOTE: All members and associate members with whom we have to communicate via normal mail instead of e-mail are liable to a
surcharge of R60 per annum.

Privileges of membership. Members have 24/7 access to the Trusts emergency number, and may contact the Trust at any time at the office
number for advice on home schooling programmes or legal matters. Members also have access to the home school library of the Trust.
Members attend meetings and consultation talks at a discount fee.

Pestalozzi Trust(IT6377/98)
PO Box 12332, QUEENSWOOD, 0121
Tel: (012) 330 1337 Fax: (011) 507 5997
Web :www.pestalozzi.org E-mail: [email protected]

Cheques, stop orders and deposits to:

Pestalozzi Trust, ABSA Bank Hatfield, Account # 4048
112677, Branch code 33-55-45 NOTE: REFERENCE: Your
name, surname and membership number (if available)

The Pestalozzi Trust undertakes:

During the time that your family is a member of the Pestalozzi Trust Legal Defence Fund for Home Education (the Fund), we undertake to:
1
2

Treat all information as confidential and use it solely to prepare for any potential legal defence in relation to your home education.
Exercise due diligence in administering all contributions by Members as an indivisible part of the Fund to defend, by the most appropriate means
as determined by the Trustees, your right to home education against unlawful encroachment by the legislative, executive, or judicial branches of
government.
Provide quality legal representation on any actual or threatened criminal proceedings brought against you in relation to your home education.

Pay all fees for attorneys and advocates appointed by the Trust, and court costs resulting from criminal proceedings brought against you in relation
to home education.

Decline to assist in the defence of a Member or in an appeal against a decision and decline to continue to render assistance in a matter if, in the
exclusive discretion of the Trustees, the likely result in regard to legal precedent or the cost will be detrimental to your interests or those of other
Members.

Communicate with you via a newsletter regarding any information that will affect your home education.

Research
Reliable, research based information
on home education is essential to
defend home education in the
community and in the courts.
There are, already, many research
results from other countries, but it
must be supported by local research
to confirm that the foreign results can
be applied in South Africa.
For this reason, the Trust supports
and promotes academic and other
research according to its capacity.
Since the Trust was established,
several
researchers
who
were
supported by the Trust have
completed theses at Masters and
Doctoral level.

Conflict management
The Trusts emergency number is
available 24 hours per day, 7 days per
week, for members with urgent
problems.
Members have, on many occasions,
used this service when the police,
social workers or education officials
arrived unannounced and demanded
entry to the family home.
In one case, the police arrived, with
the media in tow, and with the express
purpose of arresting the mother.
In all cases the Trust has been able to
assist the family in defusing the
conflict without the matter escalating
to court cases.

How does the Trust

work?
Expanding influence
Ignorance of home education is its
greatest enemy. For that reason it is a
priority of the Trust to distribute reliable information about home education.
To Government. The Trust has submitted numerous written and oral presentations, affidavits, and testimony to
Parliament, government commissions,
courts and officials.
To the Media. By means of media statements and interviews the Trust has
contributed to hundreds of newspaper
reports, magazine articles, and radio
and TV programmes in which home
education is positively presented.
To the Public. By means of email the
Trust distributes thousands of pages of
information every year in response to
public enquiries.
Workshops. The Trust offers workshops on home education and legal
aspects of home education countrywide, and provides speakers for conferences and other events.
Internet. The Trusts web page hosts
more than 200 information files casting
light on various aspects of home education in South Africa. The [tuisonderwys] discussion forum on the internet
is accessible to anyone and provides a
forum for fresh information, discussion
and support for new homeschoolers
and experienced ones alike.
Telephonic. The Trust also handles
thousands of telephonic enquiries per
year from members and from the
public

Empowering members
The SA Constitution places on parents
the duty to protect the best interests of
their
children
against
unlawful
interference, also by organs and
officials of the state.
Experience shows, though, that
parents can only protect the rights and
freedoms of their children if they know
what those rights and freedoms are,
and when they are being threatened.
For this reason the Trust continually
provides its members with information
relating to home education, the legal
aspects of home education, and the
parents duties, rights and freedoms.
We provide information by means of
newsletters, workshops, personal and
telephonic interviews and discussions
on the internet.
The Trust also advises members on
appropriate response when the
familys home education is threatened
by state actions.

Our Trustees
Mr Leendert van Oostrum (Executive Chairman) has provided leadership on home
education policy for longer than a decade. He
received an M.Ed degree for his research on
home education.
Mr Bouwe van der Eems, engineer of Cape
Town, home schools his five children.
Mr Henri Slabbert is a home schooling leader
and a school teacher with specialist
qualifications in education management.
Mrs Karin van Oostrum has been
homeschooling her own children for more than
25 years and has advised tens of thousands
of families.
Mr. Shaun Green is active in the field of
architecture and his own children have
received home education since birth.