By Godfrey Kyazze , Tech & Media Chair, GHEX Manila 2027
Did you go to school? Most of us did. You woke up, put on a uniform, sat in a classroom with forty other children, and waited for a teacher to tell you what to learn. That has been the story of education for generations around the world. And for many families, it is still the only education they know.
But across the world, a growing number of families are choosing a different path. Children are learning from home, taught by their parents, moving at their own speed, following their own curiosity. This is homeschooling.
And in March 2027, the biggest gathering of homeschooling families, researchers, and education thinkers in the world is heading to Manila in the Philippines. The conversation they are bringing deserves serious attention for each one.
What Is This Conference?
The Global Home Education Conference is organized by the Global Home Education Exchange, known as GHEX, an international movement that champions the right of parents to be at the Centre of the education of their children.
GHEX has held successful summits in Berlin, Rio de Janeiro, Moscow, and Manchester, each drawing more than a thousand attendees from dozens of countries. These are not casual gatherings.
They bring together parents who teach their children at home, university researchers studying educational outcomes, policymakers, journalists, curriculum developers, and politicians, all united by one shared belief: that the current school system, however important, cannot work perfectly for every single child.
This Movement Belongs to Everyone
One of the most important things about GHEX is that it belongs to no single religion, culture, or political group. The Manila 2027 conference will welcome Christian, Muslim, Hindu, and secular families from wealthy nations and developing countries alike.
Homeschooling is sometimes seen as something only expatriates do, or a practice tied to specific religious communities. GHEX challenges that narrow view. This movement is about a principle that crosses every boundary, the right of parents to be genuine partners in how their children are shaped and educated.
Why Manila, and Why Now?
The Philippines was chosen deliberately. It has one of the fastest growing homeschooling communities in Asia, built on deep family values and an energetic local movement. Filipino families have developed creative, community based approaches to home education that the rest of the world is genuinely interested in learning from.
And for those travelling to attend, Manila offers something extra, the world famous warmth of Filipino hospitality and the stunning beauty of the Philippine islands.
The COVID-19 pandemic also shifted the global conversation in ways that cannot be reversed. When schools closed worldwide, millions of parents became home educators almost overnight. Many discovered it worked better than expected.
Some never returned to the old model. GHEX even held a major virtual conference during the pandemic to support those families. Manila 2027 builds on that turning point and takes the conversation further than it has ever gone.
Why attending the Conference matters
We do not have to choose between fixing our school system and exploring new ideas. We can do both. We can push for better-resourced classrooms and create space for families who want to try a different approach.
But beyond the question of homeschooling itself, the deeper principles this movement stands for should speak to every educator and parent around the world: that children are individuals, not units in a production line, that parents must be partners in education, not bystanders; and that a child’s natural curiosity is the most valuable resource a teacher , or a parent can nurture.
The children in primary school today will work in jobs that do not yet exist. The ones who will thrive are not those who memorized the most facts. They are the ones who learned how to think, ask questions, and keep learning throughout their lives. That is what this movement is producing. And the conversation starts in Manila in 2027.
To find out more or to apply as a speaker at the Global Home Education Conference Manila 2027, visit:
