Couple in court for homeschooling son without permission in France

A couple in France say they are ‘ready to go to prison’ to defend their cause of homeschooling their son, and have appeared in court about the issue. They currently risk more than €1,000 in fines.

Marjorie B. and Ramïn F have a six-year-old son, Zeya, who is taught at home. This is known in France as Instruction en Famille (IEF) or simply école à la maison.

The couple appeared in court on December 12 charged with failing to send their son to school, in what has been called the first trial of its kind since the Macron government introduced stricter rules for homeschooling in 2022.

‘We are not separatists, we are not dangerous’

Appearing before the correctional tribunal in Foix (Ariège, Occitanie), the couple said: “We are not separatists, we are not dangerous, we just want to offer an alternative to our child.”

They said that they had decided to choose the homeschooling route even before their child was born, and claimed that doing this allowed them to offer a more personalised curriculum adapted to his development and energy levels.

They said that “90% of demands made to academies” are refused when it comes to homeschooling or tailoring curricula to children’s individual needs.

In response to court questioning, the couple said: “If I was to describe a typical day, I would say that we let him do what he wants to do; he loves piano and maths. He’s a very curious child, and where we live allows him to learn with many different people. He does not only stay within our family.

“We are not against state schooling, we just want to live life the way we choose,” they said.

The couple claimed that their demand to homeschool had been granted, but said that they were also fighting “for all those who see their requests refused”. However, the magistrate asked if they had “made a proper request”; a question that attracted laughter from the couple’s supporters in court.

When asked by the magistrate why they had not enlisted the help of the CNED (Centre national d'enseignement à distance), which provides distance-learning curricula (formation à distance) in France, the couple said: “This is not the educational choice that we made.”

The couple currently face fines of up to €500 each, or more. They have said they will appeal.

‘Hateful act’

Around 100 people were present at the magistrate office to support the couple, including those from the group Enfance Libre. One supporter told La Dépêche: “We must support them faced with this hateful act of trying to stop them choosing the education that they want for their little one.”

Enfance Libre said that the trial was the first of its kind after the introduction of a new law, dubbed ‘a law against separatism’.

The new rules state that in order to be granted permission to home-school, the child in question must have some kind of proven health condition or disability, or they must have some kind of activity (intensive practice of sport, art, or other form of high-level pursuit), to justify it.

Families that are considered to be ‘itinerant’ for a justifiable reason may also be granted permission.

Homeschooling is relatively common in some countries and communities, especially among religious groups in the US, with one estimate suggesting that there are now some two million home-schooled children in the States.

However, it is much rarer in France.

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