Schulpflicht vs. Bildungspflicht

The AfD proposes a "Bildungspflicht", which means that parents would have the right to school their children at home (1). The government schools remain in place, and home schooled children will be tested regularly.

I support such a change. Germany has stricter laws than most countries, forcing children to attend government schools, which in my view restricts the rights of parents and children too much.

The government threatens parents with jail or fines when they do not hand-over their children to a system that has lost its ability to provide children with a good education, and that is more concerned with indoctrination than critical thinking.

The AfD proposal seeks to ameliorate its critics by adding a requirement for regular knowledge tests and by emphasizing that homeschooling is an exception to the rule. I think this is not consequent enough.

I would go further:

If children will be forced back into the government school system because of bad exams results, why would bad results of children educated in the government schools not entitle them automatically to home schooling? Also, what would happen to children who transfer back into the government school system and continue to get bad notes?

There is also the question why everybody has to follow the government school curriculum in the first place. What matters in the end, is whether the next generation will be successfully in life. If the government school system is so much better in the is regard, to government schools without coercion. However, if home schooling produces better results, wouldn’t it be better for everybody to allow it?

My suspicion is that the proponents of the government school system do not really care about the children. Instead, they are afraid they loose control over the indoctrination of children. In their mind, the worst that can happen is that home schooled children may actually receive a better eduction and will be more successful in life.