Temporary Education At Home

Temporary Education At Home (Tijdelijk Onderwijs Aan Huis (TOAH) in Dutch) in Flanders, Belgium, enables temporary primary and secondary education for children that are not hospitalised but absent from school for a longer period of time. Children can be taught by their own teacher who comes to their home for 4 hours “class time” a week, also allowing for a continued contact with their class.

Contrary to a hospital-school which educates hospitalised children, TOAH educates those who are long-term absent from school to limit their learning disability. This can be toddlers of 5 years old, and children in primary and secondary school who are absent from school due to illness, an accident, or a disability

Criteria: who is eligible?

• the student is absent for more than 21 consecutive calendar days due to an accident or illness (and if the student falls ill again within 3 months, TOAH can be resumed immediately)
• the student that can only attend school part-time on a weekly basis
• Children that are chronically ill are eligible as soon as they are absent for more than 9 half school days. According to the Belgian law a chronical disease means that the patient needs to receive continuous or repetitive treatment for at least 6 months. These children can also save up their 4 hours TOAH each week to receive them on a later date.

Who is responsible for this education?

TOAH is stipulated by decree. The child's own school provides this temporary education at home, it receives state funding for the teacher to teach a student that is eligible for TOAH 4 hours each week. Any additional lessons (on top of the 4 state funded hours) have to be financed by the school itself. The child's school is obligated to provide TOAH when the distance between the child's home and the school is less than or equal to 10 km (for regular schools) and 20 km for special needs schools. When the distance is more, the school can provide TOAH if it is feasible, and the teacher's hours and transportation costs are then financed by the government.

References

• page about TOAH on the website of the Flemish Ministry of Education and Training (Dutch)
• page about TOAH on the website of the Flemish Platform for Patients (Dutch)
• Decree amendment 17 June 1997, on the website of the Flemish Ministry of Education and Training (Dutch)

1. article LEREN VANUIT JE BED, Weliswaar - Welzijns- en gezondheidsmagazine voor Vlaanderen, Issue 93 Inspectie, Tijdelijk onderwijs aan huis (p. 6-8) (PDF - Dutch)

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