They feel the unflinching emphasis on chalking up a string of As in examinations often destroys the zeal students would normally feel about learning and discovering new things. More often than not, this constant push to succeed academically tends to stunt their full potential.

It should come as no surprise then that an increasing number of parents have opted out from the traditional schooling system, preferring to homeschool their children instead.

Some parents favour a more structured learning approach, either by teaching their children themselves at home or by sending them to learning centres where they are taught a particular syllabus, such as the Cambridge IGCSE curriculum.

Others prefer homeschool co-ops, where parents of homeschooling children get together to plan their children’s education by taking turns to teach and facilitate various child-led learning activities.

Chong Wai Leng started homeschooling her children back in 2001, when they were three to four years old.

“My husband and I came across an online conference on homeschooling which centred around child-led learning, and it really opened up our eyes, hearts and minds.

“We rarely ask our kids about their feelings or about what they’re interested to learn,” said the 56-year-old.

Her husband and she eventually found other like-minded parents and decided to start a homeschooling co-op. They are also the co-founders of “Learning Beyond Schooling”, a website that explores alternative education.

“We rented a place where we conducted all sorts of activities, such as music, drawing, story-telling, games and other hands-on sessions,” she told FMT, adding that all three of her children are extremely passionate about music, besides other artistic pursuits.

Chong feels that it’s important to let children learn by curiosity and discovery.

“We bought books and we read to them; we weren’t too concerned about academics or the curricula,” she said, adding that her children would usually search for things to learn on their own.

“Given the right environment I feel that any child will flourish. We don’t need to do too much; we just need to be supportive of their interests.”

Selina Chew meanwhile has been homeschooling her two boys since 2010.

“My husband and I have been conducting workshops for children for over 20 years, and we find that although most of them are good academically, they’re often lacking in confidence and they struggle when it comes to public speaking,” said the 48-year-old who is trained therapist.

Reading books on conscious parenting and education, and in particular, Sir Ken Robinson’s book, “The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything” made a huge impression on the couple.

“We thought it was better to find something that our children were interested in and build their confidence from there,” she said, adding that they emphasised skill-building instead of focusing on academics.

When her kids were very young, Chew gave them sketch pads, which led them to become interested in doodling.

“That ignited their imagination; to them, drawing was a form of play,” she said.

Her children, Shedon, 16, and Emerson 14, are co-founders of the YouTube channel CyberLegends Animations’, which has over 204,000 subscribers.

In addition, they’ve also authored and illustrated several children’s storybooks, and have been recipients of various local and international awards, especially in game development.

“They also organise all kinds of workshops for other children; they have a lot of interests as they’re given time to explore,” she added.

Chew explained that while homeschooling can be challenging, it is extremely fulfilling and there are ways to work around it. She said being self-employed also gave her and her husband more flexibility with time.

“Over the past 10 years, my boys have become very independent and are self-directed when it comes to learning.

“They figure things out on their own – I don’t even have to do anything.”

International school teacher Radhika Menon said that quite a number of parents who lost their jobs during the pandemic have had to withdraw their children from international schools, and have since enrolled them in learning centres that utilise the same international syllabus at a much lower fee.

“Some may find these are better options for their children, especially if the students achieve similar grades,” said the 58-year-old.

Radhika said that the current education system was rather demanding and stressful on children, and that she often felt sorry for kids who were forced to study subjects that they don’t enjoy.

“Not all children are designed to become doctors or engineers; some have talents in other fields but unfortunately, most Asian parents still focus on academic results,” she said, adding that Malaysia could take example from the Scandinavian education system, which is more holistic, relaxed and student-centred.

She also said that living skills subjects that touch on, among others, cooking, meal planning, sewing, gardening, as well as home and financial management should be given a stronger emphasis as it prepares students to be self-sufficient as adults.

“Who knows, the education system could change in the near future because Covid has definitely made a big impact on how we learn.”

For more information on homeschooling, check out Chong Wai Leng and her husband’s ‘Learning Beyond Schooling’s website and Facebook page.

You can also check out Sheldon and Emerson’s Facebook page, as well as their YouTube channel.