Dutch minister wants to scrap homeschooling exemption based on religious objections

State Secretary for Education, Culture, and Science Judith Tielen said in an episode of the investigative programme BOOS that she wants to scrap the compulsory education exemption currently used by parents who homeschool their children because no nearby school aligns with their religious or ideological convictions.

Tielen said she is concerned by the growing number of exemptions granted on the basis of so-called ideological objections, arguing that every child is entitled to proper education.

In BOOS, she said this includes being taught by qualified teachers, developing alongside classmates, and attending regular lessons at school. According to the state secretary, homeschooling should ideally only be used in situations such as illness.

If scrapping the exemption turns out not to be possible, the state secretary said she wants to explore ways to strengthen oversight of homeschooling “so that these children do not disappear from view.” Tielen said both approaches are currently under consideration.

However, she acknowledged in the programme that monitoring homeschooling is “very difficult,” as effective supervision would require inspections inside private homes, which cannot easily be carried out.

After the programme aired, the Children’s Ombudsman wrote to Tielen calling for tighter conditions on the exemption scheme. However, the state secretary now appears to be considering even more far-reaching measures.