| History of HEN |
Our Campaign 1998-1999
HEN was started in October 1998. A major impetus in setting up the Network
was the threat of new legislation to regulate Home Education in Ireland. A great
deal of time and effort has been put into a campaign to throw out or at least
radically modify this Education (Welfare) Bill. Here is the story of our early
campaign.
We read the Educational Welfare Bill 1999 and drafted three responses to it.
The Educational Welfare Bill was debated in the Seanad on 16th June 1999 and
again and again on 16th June 1999
The Minister for Education and Science was in Question Time on 17th June
1999. And launched a Consultative Seminar on the Bill in the Clontarf Castle
Hotel with this speech on 21 Sept 1999.
The Educational Welfare Bill was debated in the Dail on 5th October 1999 and
6th October 1999 and again 6th October 1999 Please note that sect5 starts with
some 40 lines of non E(W)B matter....and on 17th November 1999
The debate in the Dail still does not appear to be complete.
We drafted a letter to print and send to TDs protesting about the Education
(Welfare) Bill.
We made a submission on the Education (Welfare) Bill to the Irish Council for
Civil Liberties.
And had a meeting with and made a submission to Richard Bruton T.D. Fine
Gael spokesperson for Education.
Then, government appointed a new Minister of Education, Dr. Michael Woods.
We wrote him a letter to help address desirable amendments to the Education
Welfare Bill
HEN was started in October 1998. A major impetus in setting up the Network
was the threat of new legislation to regulate Home Education in Ireland. A great
deal of time and effort has been put into a campaign to throw out or at least
radically modify this Education (Welfare) Bill. Here is the story of our early
campaign.
We read the Educational Welfare Bill 1999 and drafted three responses to it.
The Educational Welfare Bill was debated in the Seanad on 16th June 1999 and
again and again on 16th June 1999
The Minister for Education and Science was in Question Time on 17th June
1999. And launched a Consultative Seminar on the Bill in the Clontarf Castle
Hotel with this speech on 21 Sept 1999.
The Educational Welfare Bill was debated in the Dail on 5th October 1999 and
6th October 1999 and again 6th October 1999 Please note that sect5 starts with
some 40 lines of non E(W)B matter....and on 17th November 1999
The debate in the Dail still does not appear to be complete.
We drafted a letter to print and send to TDs protesting about the Education
(Welfare) Bill.
We made a submission on the Education (Welfare) Bill to the Irish Council for
Civil Liberties.
And had a meeting with and made a submission to Richard Bruton T.D. Fine
Gael spokesperson for Education.
Then, government appointed a new Minister of Education, Dr. Michael Woods.
We wrote him a letter to help address desirable amendments to the Education
Welfare Bill
How it all started...
At a meeting of home educating families held on the 10th October 1998 in
Greystones, Co. Wicklow, it was agreed to establish a "Home Education
Network" (HEN).The following people agreed to take an active part in the
Network: Barbara Boland, Michael Duggan, Joe Dunne, Carol Jordan, Nora
Leahy, Andrew Lloyd, Heather and Jack McClintock, Christine Moore, Maeliosa
O'Leary, Margaret and Vaughan Quaid, Michael Rice and Celine Spengeman.
We subsequently had many further meetings to determine the Network's remit,
role and relationship with the families that constitute it.
The first concerted action of HEN was to discuss the proposed new School
Attendance Act (1998). We felt that the interests and rights of home educators
were unlikely to be explicitly addressed in the new act. It was agreed that a letter
would be drafted to the Minister of Education in those days, Micheal Martin with a
copy to Brian Felon, Executive Officer with the home education brief at the
Department in Athlone, saying:
These letters were sent out on 12th October 1998.
At a meeting of home educating families held on the 10th October 1998 in
Greystones, Co. Wicklow, it was agreed to establish a "Home Education
Network" (HEN).The following people agreed to take an active part in the
Network: Barbara Boland, Michael Duggan, Joe Dunne, Carol Jordan, Nora
Leahy, Andrew Lloyd, Heather and Jack McClintock, Christine Moore, Maeliosa
O'Leary, Margaret and Vaughan Quaid, Michael Rice and Celine Spengeman.
We subsequently had many further meetings to determine the Network's remit,
role and relationship with the families that constitute it.
The first concerted action of HEN was to discuss the proposed new School
Attendance Act (1998). We felt that the interests and rights of home educators
were unlikely to be explicitly addressed in the new act. It was agreed that a letter
would be drafted to the Minister of Education in those days, Micheal Martin with a
copy to Brian Felon, Executive Officer with the home education brief at the
Department in Athlone, saying:
 | "In line with the family's constitutional right to educate their children at | |
| home, the revised School Attendance Act (1998) should contain a clause stating that children who are being educated at home do not come under said Act". |
| "We proposed that the School Attendance Act (1998) should also | |
| provide for persons who have initially opted for the school system and who subsequently exercise their right to educate in the home". |
| "Sufficient provision for the exercise of this right could take the form | |
| of a written notification to the school principal of this intention". |
These letters were sent out on 12th October 1998.