Last month I hopped on a train to Manchester to attend the Global Home Education Exchange conference for 2024. I had only head about the GHEX organisation two weeks earlier so didn’t know what to expect, but I knew it would tick three boxes for me: I could experience something of Manchester for the first time; I would definitely learn something; and I would most likely meet some interesting people. I could only stay for 24 hours but it was enough to catch a feel for how educational freedom is being championed (and stifled) around the world.
Firstly, a quick word on Manchester in July. It was much cooler than southern England where I live (in fact I met a man in the Art Gallery who travels here every summer from the UAE precisely to get away from the heat and to enjoy the rain). I noticed far fewer parks and green spaces compared to London and a local explained that’s because the London parks were created by the Royals and well, they never lived up North. Makes sense. Finally, the City Centre is bursting with culture and heritage architecture, and it’s all pretty easy to navigate by foot. It’s as much of a cultural melting pot as London is, so there we go, that out of the way – on to the conference.
I’ve attended a few home education events in my time but this had a truly international vibe to it, with speakers from all over the world. Here are my top highlights:
I sat next to a beautiful mother from Ukraine who is home educating here in the UK. I learned that a lot of Ukrainian families are home-schooling or micro-schooling at the moment. Parents love their children and no matter what situation they find themselves in, they will work hard to give their kids the best education they can.
I was very impressed with Samuel George, an MP from Ghana. He takes a very positive attitude to the role of home education in his country and said he wants to ensure new legislation empowers parents rather than restricts them. Speaking with him afterwards I was reminded that every country’s context is unique and you have to work with it, rather than against it.
It was great to hear Liz Gitonga who is a pioneer of the home educating movement in Kenya. Millions of children in Africa are still not receiving an education and yet many parents are waking up to the fact that they provide one themselves if they are intentional about it. Her stories were very inspiring.
Dr Paula Rothermel was a passionate and intelligent defender of the rights of parents to decide how their children should be educated and she was a joy to listen to.
It truly was a global exchange of ideas. I was really encouraged hearing how alternative approaches to education are growing in Asia and the Middle East, and gained a better insight on the UK situation where it is estimated that approx. 115,000 children are now being home educated. In Ireland the HE population has exploded by more than 270% since the pandemic. Europe is a mixed bag with several countries taking a very hostile attitude to home education, such as Germany, France, Spain and Sweden where it is all but illegal except in extreme cases. Other countries are more accommodating but overall, the home-school ‘brand’ isn’t well respected in Europe, so the movement is developing in a more underground way. Finally, and this was news to me, home education is growing in Latin America; this is partly due to the fact that these countries are naturally very family-oriented and values driven.
It was great to meet some new people who are just starting out on their journey and I was able to encourage them to relax and enjoy the ride.
There wasn’t anyone from Australia or New Zealand represented and the GHEX is looking for a national rep from this region, so if you think that might be you, do get in touch with them.
Overall takeaway is that the world is by and large embracing the idea that parents have the right to educate their children themselves and that they can actually do it successfully. People are proactive and are organising themselves in more sophisticated ways so the trend is only likely to continue.
And if you get to visit Manchester, you must pop into the Central Library in St Peter's Square which is impressive, and the John Rylands Library which looks like the set from Harry Potter.
Find out more at www.ghex.world
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