Parents have a stake in decision-making in schools

What you need to know:

  • If parents were actively involved in governing of schools, some decisions such as rapid increment of school fees would be checked, writes Godfrey Lugaaju.

Summaya Nansikombi, a retired teacher, was on the management committee of a school her son attended back in the 2000s. She represented parents on the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) committee. Nansikombi remembers discussions during their meetings would get heated especially if the affairs of the school were seemingly not being properly managed.

“Why is the school performing poorly? Why are cases of indiscipline in the school on the rise? How can we generate revenue to improve the teachers and students’ welfare? These are some of the questions that were common during the PTA meetings,” she says.

In other words, parents were closely involved in the day to day running of the school and would put the school administrators to task and at the end of the day, this reflected in the performance and general outlook of the school.
To date several schools, especially government-aided ones, have a PTA but does the association still bite with the crop of private schools where most decisions rely on the wishes of the school owner?

In most cases, all parents and teachers are automatically members of the PTA. Most PTAs hold their annual general meeting at the end of the school year where a committee is elected.
Stephen Muhumuza, the PTA chairman of Kasawo Secondary School, says although these associations do not exist in some schools, there is need to revive them in order to improve the quality of education in the country.

“The involvement of parents in the school affairs is very crucial for the proper upbringing of their children. Some parents send their children to school without making a follow-up but PTAs will draw the teachers and parents together which will foster good learning,” he says, adding that schools that do not have PTAs should be advised to institute them and be sensitised on their relevance in as far as facilitating good learning is concerned.

PTAs which are charged with the educational, moral and spiritual well-being of the learners have been successful in most of the schools where they are successful.

Samson Okello, the PTA chair at Awegys Comprehensive Secondary School, Kigo, says more than 85 per cent of the research studies conducted over the past 30 years prove that children do better when parents are more involved in their education system than simply paying school fees.

“When parents and teachers meet, there is usually a frank and open discussion about the challenges their children are facing. There is also a deliberation on the important issues pertaining running of the school and resolutions being taken in the interest of all concerned,” he says.

A complex situation
Charles Muweesi Lwanga, an education consultant also teacher at Trinity College, Nabbingo, notes that the quality of managing schools is becoming complex and a major concern to the public.
“Schools are categorised into public, private, and institutionally-owned such as church schools. This becomes complex that even when it is a requirement by the Education ministry to have policy formulating bodies such as Boards of Governors and PTAs, many schools especially the privately-owned ones only have them in records but not in practice,” he says.

Muweesi adds that there is need to revisit the purpose of PTAs, their constitutions, their mandate among others. “The call goes mainly to the private schools where decisions and policies are made by directors. Parents and teacher’s engagement in decision making and supervision is vital for the school’s progress,” he says.

Ritah Kisakye, a parent at Mugwanya Summit College, Kyengera, says involving parents in the running of the school is fundamental in shaping students into performers.

“Apart from raising school fees, parents generate money through membership fees, some of which is used to supplement teachers’ salaries, buy text books, produce teaching materials, and take care of emergencies. Involving parents in education affairs makes them appreciate the challenges facing the school and therefore become part of the solution,” she notes.

How to start
Start a committee. Teachers and parents can start an association such as PTA to which they can commit to meet, make decisions and pass resolutions. Some of the roles are time-consuming, although also rewarding.

Make frequent school visits. If you cannot commit to a big task, look out for things you can do less frequently such as constantly checking on the schools affairs (both academic and social lifestyles).

When parents are involved

Improve discipline. A good relationship between parents and teachers can improve discipline among learners. Whenever students expect their parents to come to school, they tend to be on their best behaviour.
Responsibility. If parents took part in decision making, it would show they make a contribution towards the development of a school.