Hi all,

            I am new on this forum. You guys are doing very good job, keep it up.
I have an issue regarding my 8 year old son's education. He is right now in india with my wife and I moved to Germany on a permanent job contract earlier this year. My son is studying in India and is now in 5th Grade. I want to bring my family here but dont want that my son starts from 0 here in school (he has no knowledge of German as well). We are thinking that my son stays with me and continues study at home as "private" student. He can go to India to write exams every year. But I heard that education is must here in Gemany and every kid who is living in Germany on family reunion (long term) visa must attend school in Germany. My question is " will it be possible that we dont enrol him in German school but he continues study in India living with me in Germany and going to India to give exams?" Will he get long term visa if he does not attend school in Germany? 
Someone if know the answer or has an idea about this issue please help me, would be very thankful.

Regards,
Ajit

By the way, did you speak with nearby school authorities if your son can still be admitted to the school with a loss of one year or may be without? Although I think that in Germany a 8-year old kid would be studying in 3rd standard but not so sure about it.

Also, think of the situation where your son is cut-off from social life, no friends, no one of his age to play with, no extra-curricular activities, if he does not go to school. If you here for long-term and your child is unable to speak German in Germany...then..no fun for him

Another option could be a private English medium school. If you are here only for 3-4 years then you can also consider this option.

Since education falls under the jurisdiction of the Länder, the exact age at which a child becomes Schulpflichtig (required to attend school) in Germany varies slightly by Bundesland. Regardless in which Bundesland you live, however, a child of 8 resident in Germany will be required to attend school.

You basically have two options:

1. The child lives in Germany, attends school here, and you can teach him whatever you feel is lacking in the German curriculum in the afternoons, evenings, and on the weekends.

2. The child lives in India, attends school there, and comes to Germany on a tourist visa for his summer holidays (you would not be eligible for Kindergeld).

How long are you planning on staying in Germany? If there is any chance that you'll be here for more than a few years, it would be much better if your child goes to school here and learns German. Your child is still at an age where he has the chance to learn German relatively easily and it'll be more difficult for him if you later decide that you want to live here long-term.