Home and online education have ceased to be secondary options and have become part of the educational reality for many families. Parents in South Africa considering these formats are urged to carefully examine service providers and assessment methods, as the government is developing new norms for home learning and intends to officially recognize and regulate online schools.
Preliminary draft regulations for home education are expected to be published for public comment during the current financial year. Simultaneously, work is underway to amend the South African Education Act to legalize and regulate online schools. The Minister of Basic Education, Siphiwe Govender, confirmed this regulatory work during the vote on the Department of Basic Education's budget for 2026/27 in May.
Govender stated that additional draft regulations concerning teacher development, home education, and notification of school governing body elections will be published for comments within this financial year. He also emphasized that work is progressing on amending the South African Education Act to recognize and regulate online schools.
Regulatory changes have drawn increased attention to home and online education, as more families explore alternative educational pathways, noted Chris Klopper, CEO of the South African Assessment Institute (SACAI). He agreed that these forms of learning are an integral part of many families' lives.
According to the 2011 census, there were approximately 57,000 homeschooled learners in South Africa. SA Homeschoolers estimates that this number could grow to around 300,000 by 2025, noting that home education is currently the fastest-growing type of education globally. This shift was spurred by the pandemic. Data from Statistics South Africa shows that the percentage of children aged 0 to 4 staying home with a parent or guardian increased from 57.8% in 2019 to 64.6% in 2021. Meanwhile, attendance at preschools, kindergartens, and care centers decreased from 36.8% to 28.5% over the same period. For many families, the experience of home learning during COVID-19 normalized alternative educational schemes that some have chosen to maintain.
Demand for such services is rising. A Teneo analysis based on Google Trends data showed that searches for 'online school' in Gauteng increased by 69% in January, and nationally by 87% weekly, with 103,000 such queries registered in the last month. Teneo links this trend partly to increasing pressure to secure places in quality schools in Gauteng.
Klopper believes that regulation can help resolve the confusion parents face when providers use terms like 'registered,' 'compliant,' 'accredited,' or 'recognized'—terms that do not always clearly indicate whether they refer to the curriculum, the provider, the assessment body, or the final examination pathway. He warned that parents should not be expected to decipher educational jargon independently. If a provider claims to be registered or compliant with a recognized pathway, parents have every right to ask: 'Registered by whom, for what purpose, and what does this mean for my child's assessment and final results?'
SACAI is a private assessment body accredited by Umalusi that conducts examinations for Grade 10–12 candidates registered through SACAI-registered institutions, many of which operate under home, online, or distance learning conditions. Klopper clarified that SACAI's role is not to manage schools but to support the integrity of assessment processes within the pathways it supports.
Klopper cautioned that pressured parents might fall victim to misleading claims or poorly structured offers. He advised parents to find out what curriculum their child uses, how progress is tracked, who is responsible for School Assessment evidence, how exam readiness is managed, and what final assessment pathway the student will follow. Klopper stressed: 'A child may have excellent online lessons but still be on a weak track if assessment evidence, moderation, and exam readiness are not managed properly.' He added that not only the curriculum content but also the system behind the learning—record-keeping, standards, accountability, and quality assurance—is important. Klopper concluded that parents do not need to wait for official rules to ask providers more detailed questions; they must scrutinize claims, understand the difference between educational support and assessment validity, and determine whether the path they choose will ultimately lead to recognized outcomes. It should be noted, however, that the draft regulations for home education have not yet been published for public comment.
The Rampur Development Authority (RDA) has ordered the demolition of 38 buildings at Muhammad Ali Jauhar University, which belongs to Samajwadi party leader Azam Khan. The basis for this decision is that the buildings were constructed without approved building plans, an official representative reported on Wednesday.
The order was issued in accordance with Section 27(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Town Planning and Development Act of 1973. The process began after a regional junior engineer submitted a report on alleged illegal constructions on the university premises. After receiving notification, the university provided its response on July 8, and a personal meeting was scheduled for July 15.
During the hearings, the university argued that the campus, located in the village of Singanhera, was outside the jurisdiction of the RDA until September 27, 2024, and therefore did not require its approval for construction. Furthermore, it insisted that the buildings were constructed significantly earlier and could not be deemed illegal under current regulations. However, the RDA rejected these arguments, stating that permission from the competent authority was mandatory at the time of construction, regardless of whether the area later fell under its jurisdiction.
According to the order, records from Rampur Panchayat showed that only the medical college and academic block had approved plans, while the other 38 buildings lacked valid permits. It was also noted that the university knew about the need to obtain permission, as it only received approval for two sanctioned buildings and built the rest without proper documentation. Consequently, the administration concluded that these structures violate the Uttar Pradesh Town Planning and Development Act and are subject to demolition.
Muhammad Ali Jauhar University, established in 2006 by an act of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, was one of Azam Khan's key projects. In recent years, it has been involved in legal disputes concerning alleged land grabbing and breach of lease agreements, while the Uttar Pradesh government restored large parts of the campus. Earlier this year, Khan and his family officially stepped down from the management board of the university. Khan previously held the position of Chancellor and Lifetime President of the Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar Trust, which manages the university.
A conference was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, dedicated to strengthening cooperation in the field of legal education and interaction with legal media. The event took place at the House of Human Rights.
The conference was organized by the National Center of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights together with the editorial board of the journal 'Hayot va Qonun' (Life and Law). The event is timed to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Uzbekistan's independence and the 30th anniversary of the National Center itself.
The Director of the National Center and Academician Akmal Saidov opened the conference, noting that the celebrations of the 35th anniversary of independence are being held according to the presidential decree of April 1, 2026. He emphasized that the approved concept and program of commemorative events, conducted under the slogan 'Together with one Motherland and one people we will build a new life and a new future!', reflect the achievements of New Uzbekistan and its growing international authority.
Saidov particularly focused on legal education, calling the teaching of human rights one of the key areas of the Center's activities. He announced that the Center has initiated systematic seminars and training sessions in all regions of the country for prevention inspectors working with mahalla public assemblies. It is expected that over 10,000 such inspectors serving about 9,000 mahallas across Uzbekistan will undergo training.
As an example of its public information work, Saidov noted that in the first half of 2026, the National Center published 2,228 materials on its official website. Information was also regularly disseminated through media in Uzbek, Russian, and English. Participants noted that the National Center is the founder or co-founder of several specialized legal publications, including the journals 'Democratization and Human Rights' and 'Public Opinion and Human Rights'. The journal 'Hayot va Qonun' has now joined the Center's permanent information partners and will contribute to promoting legal knowledge and strengthening legal culture in society.
During the event, the latest edition of the journal 'Hayot va Qonun', as well as legal publications and new issues of the journal, were presented to the House of Human Rights. Siroddin Rustamov, head of Hayot va Qonun LLC, outlined the main directions of future cooperation with the National Center, while editor-in-chief Mahmudxon Toirov spoke about the key legal issues covered by the journal.
One of the main outcomes of the conference was the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the National Center of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights and the editorial board of the journal 'Hayot va Qonun'. The document was signed by Akmal Saidov and Siroddin Rustamov. The memorandum provides for the development of joint projects in the field of education and public awareness, expanding cooperation in informing the population about legal problems, supporting scientific research, and promoting international standards in human rights.
The event concluded with a poetry evening titled 'Independent Uzbekistan - My Pride, My Honor', where works dedicated to the country's independence, homeland, and the creative labor of the people of Uzbekistan were presented. Poets and journalists presented literary works reflecting themes of patriotism, peace, and national unity. The conference marked another step in strengthening interaction between state structures and specialized legal publications aimed at increasing legal literacy, promoting respect for human rights, and expanding public access to quality legal information.
The Wiesental Primary School was conceived with an orthogonal layout on its site, allowing the building to open up to the natural landscape of the Lorze river valley.
The campus arrangement was planned to organize the different programmatic functions autonomously. Simultaneously, this design maintains the notion that the school should function as a collective space shared by the community.
