Thulisile Ndlovu, a parent to a Grade 9 learner at Barnato Park High School in Hillbrow, planned to be actively involved in her daughter’s education as the academic year kicked off on Wednesday.
Ndlovu explained that working long hours hindered her from being involved in her daughter’s education. She hardly attended parents’ meetings.
“I leave early in the morning for work and return home quite late. By the time I have to open her books, I’d be extremely tired. Her older brother always attended school meetings on my behalf,” said Ndlovu.
She believed her child’s performance would have produced better results had she been actively involved in the daughter’s academics.
“I would have been able to monitor her progress at school, including being aware of the challenges she faced. I was going to be able to encourage her to perform better at school,” said Ndlovu.
With a new job and less demanding hours at work, Ndlovu said she plans on being active in her child’s education by building a strong rapport with the teachers.
“I want to build a relationship with my child's teachers in order to be informed about her studies. I plan on receiving regular reports about her progress at school, whether she's improving or not,” said Ndlovu.
The mother said parental involvement will aid her to apply better methods to discipline the child at school and home, without using corporal punishment.
“This way, I will be able to help my daughter succeed, and improve her work and her behaviour both at school and home,” said Ndlovu.
Ndlovu vowed to regularly check her child’s school books, including helping with homework .
“I will check my child's school work on a regular basis and seek assistance from the teachers to improve her performance. Moreover, my child must sleep enough hours and spend less time on the phone to improve her concentration skills, and introduce a healthy diet for her brain development,” she said.
Education activist, Hendrick Makaneta, noted that parental involvement in academics, with a strong rapport with teachers, creates a healthy learning environment and improves a learner’s academic performance.
“Education on its own is a triangle that requires the collaboration between parents, learners and teachers.
“Learners whose parents collaborate with teachers find it difficult to misbehave, because they know that whatever they do at school, the parent will know even before they arrive at home. This conduct can help prepare learners and make them responsible individuals,” he said.
He urged for parents to take initiative and enquire about their children’s academics from the beginning of the year.
“Parents should take steps to enquire about their child's progress, not during term four, but in the course of the very first school term. Parents should not wait to be called in by teachers.
“It is very important for parents to know that teachers on their own will not be able to fully discipline their children. Parents must ensure that maximum discipline is instilled at home, as not every teacher can win the battle against ill discipline,” said Makaneta.
The Star