The Romeike family received political asylum in the USA after refusing to send their children to German school
'At school, students are raised in anti-Christian traditions, and textbooks talk not about God but about vampires and witches,' the Christian parents were convinced. What was their surprise when one day the police appeared at their doorstep. Despite the parents' protests, the police put the children in a car and forcibly took them to school…
The fact is that, unlike the USA and a number of European countries, in Germany children from the age of six are obliged not just to receive an education, but specifically to attend school. Prussia introduced this practice back in the 18th century. Parents dissatisfied with the state education system can send their children to private schools with a state license. Studying at home is only possible in exceptional cases, for example, due to a child’s disability or long-term illness. But even then, the visiting teacher must have a diploma recognized in Germany, and the education must be based on state standards.
One can argue for a long time about how fair this law is, but the fact is that families who do not comply with this requirement condemn themselves to a difficult life. According to various estimates, currently in Germany between 40 and 80 school-age children do not attend school for religious reasons. But the state is not going to tolerate violators. For example, in 2002, members of the religious community Zwlf Stmme were sentenced to various fines for not sending their children to school. Another religious family, Christians from Hesse, had to pay 130,000 euros (!) in fines for the same reason.
Violators of the law may face quite real prison sentences and even deprivation of parental rights. For example, another couple from Hesse was sentenced to three months' restriction of freedom for 'systematic and stubborn evasion' of teaching their children in school. Our immigrants, Baptists from Kazakhstan, were deprived of parental rights for not wanting to send their children to sex education classes.
By the way, this is not the first immigrant family to enter into a struggle with the German authorities. For example, the conflict between members of the community of evangelical Christian Baptists and the district education department of the city of Paderborn lasted many years.
The father of three children, Evgeny Lefler, withdrew his eldest daughter from school, deciding to educate her at home: 'We were especially worried about the free sex education of children. Children are given knowledge that adults should have, and this deprives them of childhood. Therefore we told the school: 'No!''
Religious parents are oppressed by the insufficient, in their opinion, Christian upbringing in modern schools and, in contrast, 'too much talk about sex.' At the same time, education authorities believe that home schooling creates 'parallel worlds' and isolates the child from society. 'Joint education at school pursues not only an educational goal but also serves the development of social ties,' is convinced Martina, an expert on school law at the Ministry of Culture.
For now, families who fear German school like fire have only one option: escape abroad, to the 'free world.' For example, a family from Hamburg, threatened with fines and loss of parental rights, eventually gave up after a long struggle and moved with six children to Austria. The mentioned Baptist family from Paderborn also moved to Austria.
Uwe Romeike, who chose the USA, thanked the court for the 'favorable' verdict, and his lawyer Mike Donnelly, representing the American homeschooling advocacy association HSLDA, even called this verdict 'shameful for Germany.' 'A Western country that recognizes basic human rights should also recognize the right to education, not persecute children who want to study at home,' the lawyer indignantly said.
The example of the Romeike family also inspired other Germans. Several more homeschooling followers submitted documents to the US embassy, seeking asylum on political grounds.
Irina FROLOVA.
Russkaya Germaniya