HOMESCHOOLING

HISTORY OF HOMESCHOOLING IN MALAYSIA REASONS OF HOMESCHOOLING PUBLIC SCHOOL VS HOMESCHOOLING ADVANTAGES OF HOMESCHOOLING DISADVANTAGES OF HOMESCHOOLING

HISTORY
In Malaysia, the home schooling phenomena transited two phases. The first phase was prior to 2003 and the second phase after 2003 when the Compulsory Education Act (2003) was implemented. Prior to 2003, the Minister of Education allowed parents to home school without restrictions (The Star, 2002). But from 2003 onwards when the Compulsory Education Act was implemented, home schooling was only allowed with prior permission from the Ministry of Education. Only 30 families have so far been given the approval by the Ministry of Education, Malaysia, to home school (Ramli Basri, Lecturer, Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, pers. comm. 22 August 2008). Those children who were permitted to be home schooled were solely on medical grounds or the families were not currently residing in Malaysia. The national curriculum together with a curriculum of the parents choice were permitted for home schooling use (op cit.).

REASONS OF HOMESCHOOLING
Curriculum Requirement Moral Values practice Time and Distance Restraint Academic Achievement
Parent not interested in conventional school due to lack in curriculum, incompetence teacher, social interaction problem and incondusive school environment Ebinezar John (2009)

Parent that driven with religious motivation want to apply religious values to their children life and control negative element brought by their friends Ray (1999)

Geography condition and time restraint are factors that contributed parent to choose homeschooling for their children Bullock (2011)

Parents that choose homeschooling believed that they can improve their children academic achievement Kunzman (2009)

METHOD
Montessori Method: Maria Montessori believed that children can be self-directed learners if they are given appropriate materials, tasks and information to build on. In a Montessori class, aside from a small percentage of time dedicated to covering the required school subjects (2 hours a a week average) the child is introduced, one-to-one, to activities with which he or she will discover the excitement of learning in all areas, and how all areas are related to each other. The teacher teaches the child, just as in the 3-6 class, how to learn from the environment, but in this case the wider world. The student is grabbed by an interest and taught how to do research, contact specialists, invite expert guests to the class, go out into the immediate neighborhood and the larger community to interview and research. During the class hours his time is his own, uninterrupted by adult-imposed schedules and required attendance at group lessons or listening daily to someone talk. Homework is never required in the Montessori class, but children often carry their interests and research into the evenings and week-ends, and thus learning is combined with living. All of these wonderful elements of Montessori education are available to the homeschooled student.

HOMESCHOOLING IN MALAYSIA IS LEGAL

Although the Education Act of 1996 (Act 550) made primary education compulsory, the Minister stated that fines for not sending children to school only apply to parents or guardians who neither send their children to school nor educate them in any way at home. However, homeschoolers must apply for school exemption from the Ministry of Education, and stringent regulations have developed that often prevent families from obtaining official approval.

ADVANTAGES
Provide warm, nurturing environment Clear Learning Objectives

Curriculum

Individualized Education

Flexibility

Journal of Homeschooling and What Educator Should Know, Richard (1996)

DISADVANTAGES
Time Cost

Lack of Facilities

No interaction with other children

Journal of Homeschooling and What Educator Should Know, Richard (1996)

SO, DO YOU THINK THAT HOMESCHOOLING IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOUR CHILDREN??