When the World Becomes a Classroom: The Rise of World Schooling Among Young Families | KiddyNews

For a growing number of Malaysian parents, education is no longer limited to classrooms, worksheets and school bells. Instead, some families are choosing to turn the world itself into a learning space, a movement increasingly known as “world schooling”.

The alternative education approach combines travel with real-world learning experiences, exposing children to different cultures, languages and environments from an early age. While still relatively uncommon in Malaysia, supporters believe the method can offer young children richer opportunities for social, emotional and cognitive development during their formative years.

Rather than relying entirely on rigid classroom structures, world schooling encourages children to learn through everyday experiences, from exploring museums and historical sites to navigating local markets and interacting with communities abroad.

Learning Beyond Four Walls

Among the Malaysian families embracing the lifestyle is Adilah Rosli and her husband, Harris Arisyi Redzuan, who are raising their four children through world schooling.

Their children, aged one to nine, have travelled to countries including Vietnam, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Türkiye, Italy and Spain as part of their educational journey.

Adilah said the idea first emerged while she and her husband were studying in the United Kingdom more than a decade ago. However, it was only recently that they were able to fully commit to the lifestyle.

Before transitioning into world schooling, their eldest child attended a private preschool before moving into formal education at an international school, while their second child also spent more than a year in preschool.

Although still new to the approach, Adilah said she has already observed positive changes in her children, especially in terms of independence and confidence.

“In Vietnam, Bosnia and Italy, we combined formal learning through books and worksheets with informal learning through visits to museums, parks and historical sites,” she explained.

“In Istanbul, learning was entirely experience-based, where the children absorbed knowledge about history, culture and geography directly from their surroundings.”

Early Childhood Learning Through Real-Life Experiences

Experts say early childhood is one of the most important periods for brain development, making hands-on and socially engaging experiences particularly valuable.

For world-schooling families, daily routines themselves often become lessons.

Currently based in Orgiva, Spain, Adilah said her children actively participate in planning trips by researching destinations, food and local facilities before presenting their findings to their parents.

Subjects such as Mathematics, Bahasa Malaysia and Islamic Studies are also incorporated into daily life rather than taught solely through textbooks.

“For example, mathematical skills are sharpened through daily situations such as calculating currency exchange rates, while communication improves when the children interact directly with local communities,” she said.

Supporters of the approach believe these experiences help young children develop curiosity, adaptability and stronger communication skills from an early age.

Balancing Freedom and Structure

Despite its flexible nature, many world-schooling families still follow structured academic frameworks to ensure children keep pace with mainstream education.

Adilah said her family continues to communicate with teachers from their eldest child’s former school to monitor academic progress and maintain alignment with educational standards.

She also remains open to having her children sit for formal examinations such as the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) or the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) in the future.

Academics say balancing experiential learning with foundational literacy and numeracy remains crucial, especially during early childhood.

Prof Dr Nurhizam Safie Mohd Satar from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia said exposure to different environments can help children become more creative, adaptable and skilled at problem-solving.

However, he stressed that formal learning structures still play an important role in ensuring children systematically master core academic skills.

He also highlighted the importance of maintaining healthy peer interaction to support children’s long-term social development.

A Growing Alternative Education Movement

Associate Professor Dr Fatin Aliana Mohd Radzi from Universiti Teknologi MARA described world schooling as part of a broader alternative education ecosystem that is slowly gaining attention in Malaysia.

She said the approach could potentially encourage schools to introduce more experiential learning opportunities for children across all backgrounds.

At the same time, she cautioned that world schooling requires significant financial resources, parental involvement and educational planning, which may not be accessible to every family.

Still, the growing interest reflects a wider shift among some parents who are rethinking what meaningful learning can look like during a child’s earliest years and whether some of life’s most valuable lessons may happen beyond the classroom walls.

Source:

Malay Mail  – “World schooling: When the world becomes a classroom”

Thoughtfully adapted by KiddyNews. Keeping parents and educators informed with the latest ECCE developments from Malaysia and beyond