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Austria's anti-virus measures fuel rise in homeschooling

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Julia Zappei, Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Six-year-old Leo completes a homeschool activity suggested by the online learning website of his infant school, as his mother Moira, an employee of a regional council, works from home in the village of Marsden, near Huddersfield, northern England on May 15, 2020, during the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Agence France-Presse" src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/reuters/09/27/leo.jpg"/><figcaption>Six-year-old Leo completes a homeschool activity suggested by the online learning website of his infant school, as his mother Moira, an employee of a regional council, works from home in the village of Marsden, near Huddersfield, northern England on May 15, 2020, during the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. <em>Agence France-Presse</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>VIENNA, Austria - Father-of-two Shkelqim Kameni took his children out of school because of Austria&#x27;s strict COVID testing for pupils and his opposition to the vaccine.</p><p>The 28-year-old shop manager from the western city of Salzburg is among a sharp rise in parents opting to homeschool instead.</p><p>Even weeks before the new school year started this month, the divisive issue garnered media coverage and has provoked heated exchanges online between parents.</p><p>Speaking to AFP at an anti-vaccine demonstration, Kameni said he was afraid that rigorous Covid testing created too much pressure in the classroom.</p><p>&quot;Probably a child (who tests positive) will be mobbed... it&#x27;s psychological abuse of children; it&#x27;s child abuse,&quot; he said at the rally in downtown Vienna this month, attended by thousands.</p><p>More than 7,500 children have been withdrawn from school for this academic year, the education ministry says.</p><p>Although that&#x27;s a small percentage of the 700,000 school-aged children in Austria, it is three times more than in previous years, according to ministry statistics.</p><p>&quot;I&#x27;m getting contacted by at least 10 people or so per day&quot; who want to take their children out of school, a mother of three who runs a Facebook group for homeschoolers told AFP.</p><p>Many of those who get in touch are upset about the latest anti-virus measures in schools, the mum, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/07/23/20/this-dad-has-been-homeschooling-his-kids-for-15-yearshere-are-his-teaching-tricks-and-helpful-sources">This dad has been homeschooling his kids for 12 years—here are his teaching tricks</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/09/06/20/how-to-both-work-and-school-from-home">How to both work and school from home</a></li></ul><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1sXezK9-GEk?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><div><strong>RIGOROUS TESTING</strong></div><p>Since going back to school this month, children of all ages must now take a Covid test three times a week -- at least one must be a PCR test -- and tests will continue to be needed for those not vaccinated.</p><p>Masks are not required in the classroom but must be worn in the corridors this month while authorities monitor the situation.</p><p>Students from the age of 12 are also urged to get vaccinated -- mobile teams visit schools to offer jabs and the prospect of no longer needing to test.</p><p>Actress Eva Herzig, known for her past role in the TV crime series &quot;Steirerkrimi&quot;, has spoken publicly about her decision to teach her children at home with the help of other parents and teachers who have left the school system.</p><p>&quot;I hear from so many mothers that teachers pressure children, saying they expect them to be vaccinated,&quot; she told Oe24 TV news channel last week.</p><p>&quot;As a mother, I have to decide on the limits... This is my child and I protect my child,&quot; she added.</p><div><strong>ISOLATED FROM PEERS</strong></div><p>Unlike other European countries such as Germany where at-home schooling has been illegal since 1919 and presence in school is mandatory, Austrian parents only need to inform authorities in writing to deregister their children.</p><p>Education Minister Heinz Fassmann admits that the rise in homeschooling worries him, especially the impact on youngsters no longer learning with others of their own age in a classroom. </p><p>&quot;I hope it is just a wave that comes and goes,&quot; he told AFP.</p><p>His ministry plans to require parents considering homeschooling to attend a meeting to ensure they are fully aware of what it entails.</p><p>It also wants homeschoolers to sit standard exams twice yearly, rather than just the current end-of-year ones.</p><p>But Evelyn Kometter, of the National Parents&#x27; Association, says more support should be available for homeschoolers and their parents who &quot;don&#x27;t feel their arguments are taken seriously&quot;.</p><p>&quot;The increasing number of parents taking their kids out of school should alert society,&quot; she said in a statement to AFP.</p><div><strong>NOT FOR EVERYONE</strong></div><p>The Facebook group mum acknowledged that homeschooling was not for everyone and could be challenging without the backup and resources of the education system.</p><p>&quot;People (who take their children out of school) have no idea what to expect... It is a lot of work,&quot; she said.</p><p>But she stressed the benefits of one-to-one teaching and the flexibility it offered especially for some children, such as those who are highly talented and whose needs may be neglected in the school system.</p><p>At a vocational school in a Vienna neighborhood, several students told AFP they were glad to be back after remote learning for much of the last year due to Covid.</p><p>&quot;Distance learning has been exhausting,&quot; Felix Deimler, 19, studying electrical engineering, told AFP.</p><p>Marko Guculj, a 16-year-old who studies plumbing, said he&#x27;d decided to get his first jab when a mobile vaccination team came to school so he could go to restaurants and travel more easily under the current measures that require people to show proof of being Covid-19 vaccinated, cured or tested.</p><p>&quot;I feel pressured (to get vaccinated) because some freedoms have been taken away from me,&quot; he said.</p><div><strong>burs-anb-jza/kjm</strong></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1783031" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

More than 7,500 children have been withdrawn from school for this academic year, the Austrian education ministry says.

Austria's anti-virus measures fuel rise in homeschooling

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Austria's anti-virus measures fuel rise in homeschooling

Julia Zappei,

Agence France-Presse

Published September 27, 2021 08:29 AM PHT

Read More:

COVID-19

coronavirus

education

homeschooling

ANC

austria

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