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The Big Read in short: The draw and pain of schooling your child at home

SINGAPORE — For a young Sukesy Mattar, studying at an international school in Kuwait, where she lived with her family till she was 11, provided her with a vibrant, holistic experience.

The Big Read in short: The draw and pain of schooling your child at home
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Each week, TODAY’s long-running Big Read series delves into the trends and issues that matter. This week, we look at why some Singapore parents homeschool their children and why this alternative educational pathway may not be suitable for some families. This is a shortened version of the full feature, which can be found here.

  • Despite Singapore's world-renowned education system, a small number of parents opt to homeschool their children for their primary and secondary school studies
  • Approval is needed from the Ministry of Education (MOE) for primary school homeschooling, and MOE and parents share with TODAY more details of the process
  • These parents cite various reasons for their move, including wanting to give their children more flexibility to learn at their own pace and a more holistic educational experience
  • But some challenges they face include difficulty in teaching more advanced curricula as their children get older, which they tackle by forming learning co-operatives where parents take turns to teach a subject
  • Experts say that homeschooling is not for all families due to the commitment required and the individual needs of different children, while also giving tips on what parents should consider in making such a major decision  

SINGAPORE — For a young Sukesy Mattar, studying at an international school in Kuwait, where she lived with her family till she was 11, provided her with a vibrant, holistic experience.

“We studied lots of different things, like handwriting and poetry. PE (physical education) wasn’t just PE, it was gymnastics. Music and drama were also all part of the curriculum. And I didn't have to take any major exams, so the focus was never exams,” recalled the now 45-year-old mother of five.

Her father had relocated the family to the country for work purposes.

When she returned to Singapore, Ms Mattar’s transition back to the local education system where she was placed in Primary 6, was jarring.

The curriculum, centred on the four academic subjects of English, maths, science and mother tongue and with a relentless focus on examinations, felt suffocating for her. Art and creative subjects were sidelined, and even PE was rigorously tested.

When her oldest son completed his first year of kindergarten in 2007, Ms Mattar, who worked as a private tutor and continues to teach homeschool children math and science today, began to reflect on her own experience in the mainstream school system.

She found herself unsatisfied with the schooling options for her son, including international schools, which were too costly.

Eventually, she took a leap of faith and homeschooled her son until he was 16.

Having enjoyed the lifestyle that homeschooling afforded both her son and herself, Ms Mattar continued to homeschool her second and third children until they were 16.

Ms Mattar is part of a small group of parents in Singapore who choose to homeschool their children.

WHY IT MATTERS

Globally, homeschooling is growing in popularity in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

However, this alternative schooling approach is less well-known in Singapore.

Associate Professor Jason Tan from the National Institute of Education (NIE) noted that the homeschool community is "rather scattered” as there is no umbrella body to which all homeschooling families belong.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) said in response to TODAY's queries that since the Compulsory Education Act came into effect in 2003, the number of homeschooled children has “remained small and generally constant, at an average of about 50 Singaporean children for each primary age cohort every year”.

The Act makes it mandatory for all Singaporean children residing in the country, who are above six years old and under 15, to attend a national primary school unless an exemption is granted.

MOE does not track the number of Singaporean children who are homeschooled at the secondary level and higher as they do not come under the Act’s purview.

But the ministry said that this number is likely to be fewer than that for primary school for each cohort, as many homeschooled children do eventually enrol in mainstream primary schools or secondary schools.

Each homeschooling application is reviewed on a case-by-case basis by MOE to ensure that the children's educational development is safeguarded. 

The ministry does not provide a recommended curriculum for parents who wish to homeschool their children. 

Parents who homeschool and education experts say that this educational pathway is not without challenges and is not for everyone.

For one thing, as each child has unique learning needs, parents must also adapt by juggling multiple curricula and learning styles simultaneously. 

Some may also struggle with helping their children learn more advanced subjects as they get older and the material becomes more difficult. 

To tackle these challenges, some homeschooling families form a learning co-operative and share resources, with parents with expertise in specific subjects taking turns to teach a group of children.

These co-ops typically consist of five to eight families who meet regularly each week for lessons.

In terms of socialisation, parents also shared that many people have the misconception that homeschooled children are under-socialised.

According to those interviewed, this is where the co-operatives come in — by offering homeschooled children opportunities to interact with their peers and engage in social activities like sports through regular gatherings.

Experts say that homeschooling is not for all families due to the commitment required and the individual needs of different children.

THE BIG PICTURE

Singapore's education system is highly regarded internationally.

Singaporean students ranked first in mathematics, science and reading in the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) among 38 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, while Primary 4 students achieved the highest global reading proficiency in the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study.

Still, some parents opt not to enrol their children in mainstream schools for a variety of reasons. 

Most tell TODAY that they want to provide a more personalised and flexible education, without the stress and rigidity often associated with conventional schooling.

For Ms Tang, who has a six-year-old son and three-year-old daughter and is currently pursuing a doctorate degree in medicine, the idea of homeschooling came up when she found her son to be a highly-gifted child at the age of four.

Ms Tang, 33, who declined to give her full name for privacy reasons, said her son was tackling math workbooks designed for Primary 3 students by the time he was three and subsequent tests revealed his IQ to be an impressive 154 — well above the average IQ of 100 for a normal individual.

“Part of being gifted is the asynchrony of development. He may be more developed in the cognitive sense, but another part of it may not be as critically developed, which is up to us as the parent to observe and give this one-to-one attention,” she said.

“With homeschooling, I can make it more child-led. So we can actually cater for the child to accelerate his pace of learning.” 

Parents are also drawn to providing their children with a holistic and creative education beyond mere academic excellence.

This is why former architect Anju Tupili, 50, homeschools her children using the Classical Conversations syllabus, which emphasises learning through memory work and includes philosophical works by Socrates and Plato, as well as Latin language and history, among other subjects.

“A child must be given the opportunity to know the world and learning the way of life of these ancient people enriches a (child) and I think they become better citizens,” the mother of three said.

Ms Lenora Lin, 44, on the other hand, homeschools her eight-year-old daughter Liv using the unschooling method, a child-led approach that encourages learning through natural life experiences.

Entrepreneurship fairs organised by the homeschooling community teach her daughter business skills, financial literacy, and adaptability.

"It’s about handing her the reins and letting her learn practical skills on her own initiative," said Ms Lin, who holds a degree in drama and theatre and works as a part-time coach at Forest School Singapore.

Ms Anju Tupili with her son Yohan Ayush, 17, and daughter Hossana Yakubi, 12, both of whom she has homeschooled.

THE BOTTOMLINE

While homeschooling appeals to some families, it requires significant commitment from parents, who must be able to dedicate time, resources, and a deep understanding of their child's educational and developmental requirements.

Dr Ho Boon Tiong, principal consultant educationist at training and consulting firm ClassPoint Consulting, advised parents to consider their preparedness, commitment level and knowledge of subjects before making such a major decision.

“It's a big investment because it is about individualisation of education, so you have to do everything on your own. And it's not just about financial commitment, it’s also time. At some point, you may have to reintegrate back into the mainstream system,” he said.

Given the strenuous demands of homeschooling, not all parents may be able to cope with it, Assoc Prof Tan from NIE said.

“First of all, homeschooling definitely demands that parents commit themselves fully to the task of educating their children outside of school. They have to be able to undertake that heavy responsibility not just in the short term, but for a sustained period of time.”

Assoc Prof Tan also urged parents to consider the affordability of homeschooling as families need a certain level of financial security to be able to undertake this pathway.

He added that children in the same family may also respond differently to homeschooling methods due to individual differences.

Ultimately, experts say that homeschooling is a niche pathway, and it is up to parents to educate themselves on the pedagogical approach they wish to adopt. Parents must also learn how to track and assess their children's progress to ensure they meet academic standards.

Ms Tang, the mother of two who are both schooled at home, also has this advice based on her experience: Don't turn homeschooling into a competition and remember to prioritise the children's needs.

“It doesn't mean that if somebody is using a particular learning style, I must also do the same thing. Don't put your child into a mould. It's fine to be flexible and express yourself,” she said.

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the big read Ministry of Education Education early childhood

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