Kaatutjiua  Mbinge

Education is like a three-legged pot, which requires all of its legs to carry out its function. In education, the three legs are parents, teachers and learners.

Of these three legs, none is more important than the other, meaning if one breaks, all the pressure goes to the other two.

Good old days

Back in the day parents and teachers had a very cooperative relationship. Teachers would attend all parent meetings, check and sign homework, as well as participate in all school-related activities, such as sports and debates.

On their part, parents made it a priority to forge relationships with their children’s teachers to closely monitor the progress of their children continuously as opposed to summative.  This close relationship between teachers and parents kept the learners on their toes, because they had teachers on one side and parents gazing closely from the other, leaving no room for failure.

Parents gave importance to the parents’ day where they would come in and view their learners' work and progress for themselves and they would attend in numbers.

Parents made it a point to engrain the hidden curriculum into learners’ minds, which comprises values, behaviour, beliefs and societal norms.

The parents also made themselves part of the education system, and this made the education system fluid.

 Now

Over the years, parents have slowly removed themselves from the equation, reducing themselves to mere spectators. Most parents now just drop off their children at school gates and then they go about their daily routines. The responsibility of educating now lies solely on the shoulders of the teachers, who now have to deliver the formal curriculum, and also the hidden curriculum, a burden which at the end of the day becomes too heavy for teachers to carry during the limited hours they have the learners.

After school, learners get little or no support with their homework and assignments, which reduces their interest in learning away from school. The working-class parents come back tired from work, and the unemployed parents spend a lot of time away from home, looking for resources to feed their families.

The relationship between parents and teachers is almost non-existent and in most cases, the two groups do not enjoy healthy communication. Parents no longer show interest in school activities and extracurricular activities that their children participate in.

 The ramifications

The lack of parental involvement has severe implications for education as a system. Like all other systems, education has many components, with parental involvement being one of the most important. 

Typically, it is believed that education is the responsibility of a teacher, a mentality that has proven to be incorrect over the years. In the absence of parental involvement, learners tend to have behavioural problems, learners’ academic potential is not maximised, and learners’ participation in school activities and extracurricular activities is poor. 

Additionally, schools are unable to provide quality teaching and learning without the support of parents in mobilising resources through fundraising activities to ensure that the government is met halfway.

The dose

A mindset reset is needed. As parents, we must set our priorities right. Parents and teachers are equal contributors to the education system. Teachers require parental support in enforcing the hidden curriculum, as well as the formal curriculum.

As parents, our involvement in curriculum support activities, such as sports, drama and debates, has a positive influence on the academic performance of our children. 

Attending parents' meetings and all school gatherings, and monitoring homework and other learners' work must become a priority if we are to have smoothly run schools and consequently a fluid education system.  Let us not wait for the announcement of grades 11 and 12 results in January to start screaming from the top of our lungs that teachers are failing our learners, when we too, are to blame for the education crisis.

* Kaatutjiua Mbinge holds a master of education from the University of Namibia and is a concerned parent. He writes in his private capacity.