A French newspaper writer appealed to President Emmanuel Macron to respect the values of freedom, and expressed his shock and regret at what was stated in the president's last speech, in which he said that homeschooling children harms society, is illegal, and is often applied by "religious extremists".
Macron said in his speech last Friday that Islam is experiencing a crisis everywhere in the world, and France must confront what he described as Islamic isolationism, which seeks to establish a parallel system and deny the French Republic.
The French authorities proposed a bill against "emotional separation" with the aim of "combating those who use religion to question the values of the Republic."
This is a target for the Muslim community in particular, especially with regard to the education of its children.
In an opinion piece published in the French newspaper Le Figaro, French journalist Matteo Belliard explained why he and his wife chose to educate their children at home, stressing that he did not fully understand President Macron's recent decisions on this issue.
In his article - which he drafted in the form of a letter to the French president - Belliard said that he had chosen, within freedom, to educate his children at home since 2006.
Homeschooling for children is a right provided by French law, and it is an option that many prefer over education in schools, but there is a fear that the recent decisions of the French President will force parents to give up this right.
The best option
According to the writer, none of his children suffers from serious diseases, and the decision does not include any religious background, but rather is a choice that reflects the desire of "enlightened and ambitious religion to fully commit to educating their children, giving them a broad view of the world and developing their sense of independence."
The author does not deny the respect he has for the educational institution and its history full of struggles for the protection of children, and the sense of sincerity and dedication that characterizes the educational framework, but he felt despite all this that it was better not to send his children to school.
He also believes that the school does not grant the child the benefits of family education;
The family develops a sense of independence at work, arouses in children curiosity and a desire to learn, and instills in them a love of work.
Our children love to explore, play sports and spend a lot of time outdoors in contact with nature.
The writer explained that he is not a fanatic of a certain idea or ideology, and he does not force his children to stay at home, but rather asks them regularly if they want to go to school.
He explains that his children go out constantly and are not isolated, and they have the opportunity to communicate with others and make friends with children from different social backgrounds and religions, go out to picnics and exhibitions and form with their friends an ethnic mixture that is almost disappearing in contemporary society.
From the writer's point of view, the motivations that led him to educate his children at home are varied, but the most important one is the child's health, and he explains: We are committed parents, we chose to take responsibility for educating our children ourselves and taking care of them all the time, which is very good for these children.
As this curriculum enables children to open up to the world, and to learn according to their special abilities, needs and interests.
They learn what they need at the right time.
The parents devote themselves to the child and take the time to get to know him so that he can discover himself and find his place in this world.
The author believes that this method allows children to communicate with friends of different ages, not just their ages, as happens in school, and thus develop faster through contact with those who are older than them.
Confused decisions
The writer Macron appealed to respect the values of freedom, expressing his shock and regret at what was stated in his speech on the second of this month, when he stated that teaching children at home harms society, and that this type of education is "illegal", and often applied by "religious extremists".
The writer emphasized that children who are educated at home are not outside the system, and are not excluded from education on the values of citizenship, and learning of culture, history and values.
He believed that it is useless for all children to receive their education according to one model, because children are the ones who build the world of tomorrow, and encouraging difference changes society for the better.
The writer asked about the usefulness of the president's decisions, saying, "If this decision aims to protect the French, may we protect the French at the expense of children? Should not protecting children remain a top priority?"
He indicated that Macron's statements and decisions are characterized by confusion, which made him respond to the president's speech with this message on behalf of all parents who want to exercise their inherent right to educate their children at home.
In the conclusion of his message, the writer invited the president to visit him at his home without the media or advisors, to know the truth about family education, and he addressed him saying, "Emmanuel Macron, do not make the absurd choice to give up freedom in the name of enlightenment, do not make our children prisoners of some madness of adults."