How parents are becoming powerful actors in their children’s education 

Parent Power, a leading initiative dedicated to enhancing parental engagement in education, is excited to announce the launch of the Parent Power Schools Challenge Competition. This nationwide contest invites schools across South Africa to showcase their commitment to meaningful parental engagement. 

The Parent Power Schools Challenge Competition aims to highlight the critical role that parents play in their children’s education journey. Research consistently shows that active parental engagement leads to improved academic performance, better behavior, and increased student motivation. This competition seeks to recognize and reward schools that have successfully fostered strong partnerships between parents and educators, contributing to the overall success and well-being of students. 

“We, at Parent Power, recently commissioned the first-ever nationally representative household survey to understand education through the eyes of parents so that we could develop a baseline for how parents in South Africa experience and perceive quality education. In the survey, we asked parents to reflect on five questions, ranging from their child’s happiness and safety at school, how much they know about what is happening at schools, their confidence in staff and whether they feel confident enough to stand up for their child,” said Andisiwe Hlungwane, Project Lead for Parent Power. 

1,705 parents participated in the survey, drawn from all nine provinces and different economic backgrounds, including those with children in no-fee, urban and private schools.  It’s important to understand how parents experience schooling because it impacts how they engage with schools, and ultimately, whether they can hold schools accountable. 

“We believe that parents are powerful allies in the education journey of their child,” said Zeenat Hendricks, Communications & Engagement Specialist at Parent Power. “This competition is an opportunity for schools to demonstrate their innovative approaches to engaging parents and to inspire others to follow suit. By working together, we can ensure that every child in South Africa receives the quality education they deserve.” 

The competition is open to all schools in South Africa, and entries will be judged on the effectiveness and creativity of their parental engagement strategies. The winning school will a prize of R20,000 to further support and expand their efforts in fostering parent-school partnerships. 

For more information about the Parent Power Schools Challenge Competition and to submit your entry, please visit https://parentpower.org.za/PP/index.html