China: Communist Party sees home-schooling as risk

The news-outlet Sixth Tone reported on 26 March 2019 that parents are facing increasing pressure against homeschooling their children. As Asia News explained on 19 March 2019: "Since Xi took power in 2012, the Party has launched a battle against the spread of "˜Western values" in schools and universities, banning books that promote "˜Western ideas" such as democracy and the rule of law." Thomas Muller, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, is not surprised: "The Communist Party has long been preoccupied with curbing all kinds of perceived and real dangers to its ideology, and the area of education is no exception. Parents who are worried about the quality of education in general - and about the levels of ideological indoctrination at state schools in particular - have often opted for schooling their children themselves. Churches also started schools for assisting parents in this respect. The fact that the Ministry of Education is trying to quash such efforts is consequential from their point of view: School-teachers receive thorough training in communicating patriotism and Communist ideology and are thus more reliable than parents. Education and schooling are just one more - important - battlefield."