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S'pore mum in Netherlands glad family 'escaped' PSLE, says daughter 'played all day' but got top placement in exams
"I had zero involvement in her academic studies."
December 12, 2025, 03:29 PM
A Singaporean mother who migrated to the Netherlands with her family nine years ago recently took to Instagram to share more about her daughter's education journey.
"In the Netherlands, they don’t make exams a big deal," she said, and added that she has since come to embrace the Dutch style of learning, which she believes emphasises rote learning or regurgitating information less than in Singapore.
'Hands-off approach'
Karen Lees-Tang founded a Chinese language school, Mandarin Tree, in Haarlem, Netherlands, after finding a lack of good Chinese schools there.
Prior to that, Lees-Tang was a Ministry of Education-qualified Chinese teacher.
In a video on the Mandarin Tree Instagram page, she shared her joy at her 11-year-old daughter obtaining the highest recommendation for her final exams. This would allow her to enrol in her "dream school".
This, Lees-Tang said, was despite the fact that her daughter did not attend any tuition classes, "barely [had] any homework, and played all day".
"I had zero involvement in her academic studies."
Lees-Tang added that coming from Singapore, this "hands-off" approach felt foreign to her, but she "trusted the process".
Instead, she said that she focused on teaching her children "the right values", and "took them to experience the world and enjoy their childhood".
Hearing about the stress parents in Singapore go through over their children's education had made her glad that they "escaped Singapore's PSLE".
"I see how much effort parents and kids in Singapore put in their academic exam preparation and it does make me feel guilty. I question if I’m doing enough.
However, I’ve come to appreciate the Dutch way. Kids are truly interested in learning here. The learning process is not ruined by rote learning or exam pressure. They are also more independent and inquisitive. They don’t regurgitate spoon fed information. They problem solve and think for themselves. They are confident and take charge of their own responsibilities in learning."
Top photo from mandarintree.nl/IG
