Dawn Fung

Dawn Fung is an educator, consultant, writer and thought leader. She is the founder of Little U and a core group member of EveryChild.sg. Dawn is well known for her sharp analysis in alternative education in Singapore. Her opinion has been sought by political and grassroots leaders, educators, parents and content creators. She has spoken at international and local events. Dawn is the author of the book, Homeschooling in Singapore: An Education. She homeschools her three children and is based in Singapore.

You may contact her via email. Media and organisers may access hi-res photos here.

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Dawn founded Homeschool Singapore and became one of the key leaders in the Singapore homeschooling landscape in the early 2010s-2020s. She organised activities, co-ops, Homeschool Conventions, and wrote extensively for the website, HomeschoolSingapore.sg, until it became the first portal for homeschooling matters in Singapore. The website has been archived under National Library’s Web Archive Singapore. (The portal is meant for researchers to study websites of Singapore’s history in the 21st century.) Many homeschoolers who were part of Homeschool Singapore are respected community leaders in their own rights. The current homeschooling landscape is shaped by their legacies. HomeschoolSingapore.sg is now under the able leadership of Kalsum Harun, a homeschooling mum of 3 and an ex-policy maker at MOM.

Dawn founded Little U as a teaching arm of Homeschool Singapore. In 2021, it separated from Homeschool Singapore into an independent entity. Little U is a microschool consultancy specialising in designing personalised education. Each journey is conceptualised with the team to achieve the most impact for every stakeholder. Dawn leads Little U with Vivian Kwek, a parenting coach and ex-civil servant at PMO. (Vivian coordinated and facilitated leadership training programs in governance and policy development.) Prior to being a homeschooler, Dawn taught O Level English, the IB MYP Personal Project, speech and drama. She was the head of English and Professional Development for the faculty at City College. The private college was well known for its social impact under the leadership of Kenny Low, a 2007 Schwab Social Entrepreneur of the Year awardee. (City College closed in 2023.) Little U is inspired by Kenny’s legacy, Vivian’s dream to create a school that everyone wants to attend, and the potential of the homeschooling community to develop great education in Singapore for all.

As a core group member at EveryChild.sg (EVC), Dawn advocates for children’s rights in Singapore. She is joined in her efforts by other members of the EVC core group comprising leaders with extensive experience in business, parenting, civil service and grassroots advocacy work, working under the leadership of Pooja Bhandari, a UNICEF International Council Member and ex-civil servant with MSF and MFA. Together, they want to see major changes in the Singapore education system, especially: schools that offer through trains (with PSLE being optional); small schools; small class sizes; mandatory child protection policies; dedicated professional support for emotional and mental wellness in schools.

Dawn’s book, Homeschooling in Singapore: An Education, was published in 2021. An authoritative text on Singaporean homeschooling history, referenced by politicians, researchers, journalists, civil servants, mainstream educators and homeschoolers alike, it has been dubbed by a homeschooling parent as “a bible for homeschoolers”, while a curriculum specialist and ex-principal has noted that “every page is worth the read.”

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Life’s Work

Dawn Fung’s dream is to see education reform in Singapore, where every child, parent and educator has full rights and access to great education. She has grown the dream into a full fledged 30-year manifesto. It is a work that she will carry to the end of life. Join her if you resonate with her message :

1. Download a higher resolution poster and share with others,
2. Engage with her online (FB private citizen edition or public figure edition)

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Book

“Singapore’s education system has been critically acclaimed around the world as being ‘world-class.’ Why, then, does a small minority of parents choose, instead, to homeschool their children? Homeschooling in Singapore: An Education introduces us to the little understood phenomenon of homeschooling in Singapore. Dawn Fung provides insight into the diversity that characterises homeschoolers by relating her personal experiences as well as those of other homeschooling parents. This book raises intriguing questions about the fundamental purposes of education that are instructive for parents, teachers, students and policymakers.” – Dr Jason Tan, Associate Professor of Policy, Curriculum & Leadership at NIE

“This is the first book to examine the homeschooling scene in Singapore extensively. It presents a treasure trove of information about homeschooling and homeschoolers, highlighting the adaptive qualities of homeschoolers who function in a coercive environment where suffering together through the education system is a rite of passage to being Singaporean. Dawn Fung has done remarkably well to capture the evolution of homeschooling in our city-state as well as the struggles, negotiations, and aspirations of homeschooling parents for themselves and for the future generations. As much as Homeschooling in Singapore: An Education speaks to the local education system, it is essentially global in outlook as seen in the diverse curriculum and pedagogical approaches embraced. This book is a must read for both specialists and the general public alike who are interested in the education landscape in Singapore and the innovative approaches to learning adopted by its citizenry.” – Kamaludeen Mohamed Nasir, Associate Professor of Sociology at NTU

There are some copies left with the publisher from this link. Otherwise, borrow from the National Library in Singapore.

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Portfolio

ROLES
Founder – Little U
Core Group Member – EveryChild.sg

SPEAKING

2024 – Happy Resilient Family Summit (October 2-6)
2024 – Panel at Crafting a Future-Ready Education System – for Every Child (October 5)
2023 – Panel at Doyobi’s Learn and Play Family Day (April 15)
2023 – Homeschooling the Early Years by Tiny Play Club (April 15)
2023 – The Future of Parenting Summit (April 11-13)
2022 – Homeschool Convention 2022 – Asia Edition
2021 – The C.E. Talk (July 10)
2021 – Quality Learning Conference, Taiwan (June 18-20)
2021 – Homeschool Convention, Singapore (April 9)
2020 – Homeschooling Conference (July 13-19)
2020 – CONNECT Homeschooling and Intentional Parenting Summit (July 3-5)
2020 – Homeschool Global Summit (June 29- July 8)
2019 – Philippine Homeschool Convention
2019 – Homeschool Global Summit
2017 – Homeschool Convention, Singapore

MENTORING

2023 – present – EveryChild.sg (Core Group)
2021 – 2023 – ParentED.sg (Founder of ParentED International)
2021 – 2022 – Homeschool Alumni Start Up Team
2020 – 2022 – The Socially Awkward Podcast
2018 – present – Little U (Founder)
2013 – 2021 – HomeschoolSingapore.sg (Founder, Organiser)

ORGANISING
2022 – Homeschool Convention 2022 – ASIA EDITION (under the Homeschool Alumni SG)
2021, Dec 1 – ParentED.sg Festival 2021
2020 – Homeschool E-Convention, Singapore (with Mark Lim)
2019 – Homeschool Convention, Singapore
2018 – Homeschool Convention, Singapore
2017 – Homeschool Convention, Singapore

TEACHING
2018 – present – Little U (preschool, primary, teens, tertiary, families)
2013 – 2018 – co-ops with Homeschool Singapore
2006-2013 – City College

WRITING
Long term – My thoughts on education, parenting, politics on
Facebook (private citizen) | Facebook Page (public figure) | Instagram

2022 – 100 Days of Wisdom
2021 – Homeschooling in Singapore: An Education (book published by Word Image)
2020 – Parenting The Heart (campaign creation, direction, editing)
2019 – Irrevocable Gifts (book published by The Group)

INTERVIEWS
2023, Jan 20 – “Moving through Reimagining Education with Dawn Fung” by Andreea Gatman for Kubrio
2021, Jul 20 – “Eschewing mainstream educational environments for homeschooling” by Jia Xin Gan for The Home Ground Asia
2021, Jan 11 – With Nicole, Noreen, Nicole, Zul, Pris, Jaylee for their Year 2 Mass Communication, Ngee Ann Polytechnic
2020, Oct 20 – With Jenni Ho-Huan for The Cathedral Podcast
2020, Sep 9 – With Aaron Ng for Focus on the Family’s ParentED Podcast
2020, Jul 2 – With Jenni Ho-Huan for the Cathedral Podcast (written version)
2020, Apr 23 – With Amelia Teng for The Straits Times (full transcript)
2020, Mar 29 – With Venessa Lee for The Straits Times (full transcript)
2019, Oct 21 – With Samantha Ramos-Zaragoza for Metro.Style (full transcript)
2019, Oct 4 – “Step Inside a Homeschool Home“ by The Homeschool Gazette
2018, Sep 26 – With Claudia Jardin for BBC Brasil (full transcript)
2016, Oct 30 – “When School is Right At Home” by Venessa Lee for ST Life
2014, Sep 7 – “Zoo lessons for kids taught at home” by Amelia Teng for ST

MUSIC/SONGWRITING
2020 – Blood & Iron (live performance only)
2013 – Family Song (Chinese)
2013 – The Last Morning (re-release on cassette)
2013 – In the Evening Sun
2009 – The Last Morning

Featured in
2016, Jul 3 – Creative Christians “Arts and Faith: Dawn Fung”
2016, Jun 10 – Ziknation “Dawn Fung – Strange Fire // Live Session Voyage”
2016, Jan 1 – Mackerel “Dawn Fung: Simple Beginnings”

VIDEOS