Schools

by Daniel Onyango

Created on: December 23, 2009

The turf war between schools and parents, over who should be in control of a child's education often rages because of a misunderstanding of the roles of these two groups, in the implementation of the same. As a matter of fact, whereas teachers are in charge of implementing the curriculum, parents are in more control of the education their children are getting as this essay will argue. As an educator in a country where for many years teaching was considered the profession of the last resort, many parents had already made up their minds that the fate of their children had been surrendered into the hands of miscreants, people without clear goals in life and therefore not competent to mould the lives of their children.

No one doubts the fact that in any profession or social group, there can never lack a black sheep or a bad egg. You will find all kinds of misfits in every sphere of the society, and the teaching profession has had its fair share . As people in whose hands children are entrusted, it is only understandable that parents should be concerned about the teachers competence in educating their children successfully . Nevertheless, an honest survey will show that there are millions of people who can confess that there was a teacher whose dedicated effort left an indelible mark in their lives. Equally, every knows only too well the permanent influence our parents leave in our lives. However, as everyone is aware, their material, genetic and social influence in our development cannot be said to be positively uniform in all of us.

Once parents understand that teachers as professionals, have been trained and assessed in implementing learning curriculum within a school environment with their support, half of the suspicion between these two parties will evaporate . Parents support the education of their children in various ways. They will ensure that they supply all the requirements not provided by the schools and the government, like uniform and in some cases books and writing materials. They also ensure that their children are in good health, and are disciplined enough to finish all the homework given from school. As members of the school community within the Parents Teachers Association or Board members, parents contribute significantly by making key decisions on how the education of their children should go. With more powers given to Boards of Governors and school committees recently, parents have a huge say in how the education of their children is being carried out.

However, so far parents have yet to be involved directly in designing the curriculum being taught in schools. Curriculum designers take into account many variables, including the country's goals, the cultural, ethical and sometimes the religious diversity in designing the curriculum. It is considered 'wholesome' after its trials, but as society continues to evolve these processes are continual. Thus, every stakeholder, including parents are part and parcel of the implementation of the education that affects their children.

The fact that parents in nearly all schools are involved in decision making and administration in one way or the other, they can be said to be in control of the education their children are getting . This, however, should not be construed to mean that they should be disruptive as some are wont to. As parents they have the right to voice concerns when they feel that there are things not going right. But they have a duty to ensure that teachers as professionals are given room to carry on their work without undue interference.

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