Parent Power launches a unique tool to aid parents in understanding their child’s schooling experience
In an Op-Ed published in the Mail and Guardian on the 31st of August, Parent Power asserts that schools must allow parents voices to be heard to ensure quality education, however parents do not have a lens and language with which to gauge the quality of education in South Africa. When we think about quality education in South Africa, we often talk about the result of the process – matric results. However, as a country, we need to start looking at the process itself, unpacking the contributing factors that parents can contribute towards and holding schools accountable to ensure that their children experience quality education.
Parent Power has created a first-of-its-kind index for South African parents to gauge the schooling experience of their children. The Parent Power Index was created with input from researchers at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) who conducted a nationally representative survey of parents’ experiences and perceptions of quality education which formed the basis for the Quality of Education in South Africa through the Eyes of Parents report. In the study 27% of parents who participated indicated that they had no knowledge of what is going on their child’s school. There are approximately 15 million children in school in South Africa, which means that the parents of about 4 million children who self-report as having little to no knowledge of the process of education. The Parent Power Index, which will be rolled out nationally to schooling communities and parent bodies as a tool to aid building better environments for learners by asking parents to reflect on five key questions:
1) How happy is my child at school?
2) How safe is my child when they are at school?
3) How confident am I in my child’s school staff?
4) How much do I know about what is happening at my child’s school?
5) How able do I feel to be able to stand up for my child at school?
Parent Power wants the index to be used by individual school communities in the form of the Parent Power activation card to help determine areas of success and improvement. “By using the activation card, schools and parents can gain an understanding of some of the issues that hinder the provision a conducive learning environment and begin to work together to address some of these issues to ensure that every child in South Africa has positive learning journey despite their context.” said Andisiwe Hlungwane, programme lead of Parent Power and Teachers CAN
The activation card can be downloaded here
For more details visit www.parentpower.org.za