HOMESCHOOLING is an upward trend in Malaysia, says Dr Henry Pillai, the chairman of the Association of Homeschooling.
The association was formed in 2004 to represent homeschoolers in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, and has more than 100 members.
A search on the Internet also revealed many networks, blogs, and newsgroups established to provide news and information for parents and children on homeschooling.
Among them are the Malaysian Home Educators Network or MALHEN, Learning Beyond Schooling, HomeFrontier, MyChosen, Malaysia Homeschool Unite and Mamafiza's Homeschooling Family.
"Initially, homeschooling was popular among parents who travelled with their families frequently.
"However, over the years, this has changed.
"Now more and more parents, disappointed with the inability of the education system to develop holistic individuals, prefer to homeschool their children."
Faced with rising disciplinary problems in public schools and constant changes in the education system, an increasing number of parents, he says, want to take charge of their children's learning experience.
"While the conventional school system is filling the children's head with information, it has failed to fill their hearts with values and principles. Character building is missing in our school system.
"With homeschooling, parents can play an important role in instilling good family values as well as a sense of loyalty to the nation," says Henry, who is also the founder of Grace Homeschooling Resource Centre.
The centre was established in 2000 to complement the efforts of parents who homeschool their children.
The centre, with facilities in Petaling Jaya, Klang and Rawang, supports more than 200 children and their parents.
The homeschooling approach, says Henry, is not a new phenomenon and has been very successful in producing great minds throughout history.
Albert Einstein, Sir Isaac Newton, Florence Nightingale and Charles Dickens were among the many great names in history who were homeschooled, he says.
Henry, whose three homeschooled children have now gone on to pursue tertiary education, says parents can either choose a specific curriculum from the many available or mix-and-match to suit their children's interest and learning abilities.
Homeschooling, he says, is about tailoring the education to a child's learning style and providing that one-on-one attention which conventional schools are unable to provide.
The Grace Homeschooling Resource Centre, Henry says, can provide support, training and facilities to assist all parents who want to homeschool their children.
The centre also has a learning area open to children five days a week, comprising library, science and computer facilities.
"There are no teachers in the resource centre, only supervisors who will assist children in their individualised learning.
"The centre also hires professional sports coaches to train children who are active in sport and arranges educational trips, debates and various other activities for children to develop their talents.
"At the same time, it provides opportunities for children to socialise."
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