Foundation of Education

Key Unit Competence:

Mobilize and sensitize parents and community members, to effectively play their role in education.

Introductory activity

Observe the following pictures and answer the related questions

Questions

1. What do you observe on the pictures?

2. Who is helping children to study at home?

3. Who follows children while going to school?

4. Who brought school fees for his child?

5. Who came for the meeting at school?

6. Who is participating in community work at school?

7. What is the importance of activities done on the pictures in children’s education?

8. What should be the challenges that may affect engagement of parents and community in children’s education?

3.1. Parental involvement

3.1.1. Importance of parental involvement in education

Activity 3.1.1

Read the following case study and answer the questions.

MUTONI is a child from wealthier and educated family; her mother is a doctor and her father is a teacher in secondary schools. MUTONI is healthy and physically fit because her parents take him to hospital whenever she gets sick. In her early age they used to give her the varied toys and opportunity to play. She is now in P4, she finds studying easy and enjoyable activity for her because her father always in evening hours shares with her what she studied during the day, she is always kind to her classmates as well as her teachers. When her parents are invited in the school meeting, all of her parents come together despite of their daily responsibilities. MUTONI behaves well so that all the teachers are curious to know where she stays but she says that her parents are her role models. Therefore, the school started the project of positive parenting training whereby MUTONI’s parents are invited to share with others the styles they use to raise up MUTONI.

Question:

Describe how Mutoni’s performance and behaviour are influenced by her parents.

The parents’ involvement in children’s education is of paramount importance as shown in the text below:

- Parents are children’s first and most enduring/permanent educators: the involvement of parents in young children’s education is a fundamental right and obligation (UNICEF).

- Parents and what they do have powerful effects on children’s learning: the

home learning environment (parents’ behaviours and attitudes) is linked to children’s learning outcomes.

- Parents and professionals working in partnership benefit children: parents and practitioners share information about children’s learning and development at home, and at the ECD center.

- Enhancing quality in ECE: parental involvement enhances good functioning of ECE as they support all the activities related to ECE.

- Students will demonstrate good academic performance: if parents are showing interest in their children’ education, children will more likely recognize that their education is important.

- Parental involvement gives children attention and praise which, in turn, helps them recognize their education is worthy of adult interest. As children tend to model adult behaviors, when parents are actively involved with their schooling, children will learn the importance of education and try to emulate those behaviors from their parents.

- Family engagement in school improves student achievement, reduces absenteeism, and restores parents’ confidence in their children’s education. Students with involved parents or other caregivers earn higher grades and test scores, have better social skills, and show improved behavior.

- Research shows that students perform better in school if both parents are involved, regardless of the whether both parents live with the student or not.

- Parental involvement improves behavior and a More Positive Attitudes of students:

- Being involved in all aspects of a child’s education, can help minimize the number of behavior issues. For example, children whose parents are involved in their lives have a lower rate of substance abuse and behave better, both in and out of the classroom. It has been found that “children with involved parents also have enhanced skills for regulating emotions and feel negative emotions less often.”

- Parent involvement in education… aids children’ social functioning. In particular, children with involved parents have better peer interactions than children with uninvolved parents. Their social skills also seem to be more advanced. Notably, advanced social skills, in turn, lead to better academic outcomes.”

As conclusion, when parents are involved in their children’ education, children benefit not only in the classroom but also far beyond. Moreover, having involved parents not only improves behavior and performance in school, but also improves social skills.

Application activity 3.1.1

Compose a poem of 4 verses in which you discuss what you can appreciate to people who raised you during your education since childhood up to now.

3.1.2. The role and responsibilities of parents in the child’s education

Activity 3.1.2

Go back to the case study in the activity 3.1.1 and answer the following question: 

What are strategies took by Mutoni’s parents for her academic and social life success?

When the parents take part in the education of their children, the children are more likely to benefit as discussed before. The following are the roles and responsibilities of parents in children’s education:

• Involve yourself in your child’s formal education: Communicate regularly with your child’s teacher (s). Make sure that your child is completing his/her homework each night, assist your child with his/her homework, but don’t do the homework, talk to your child every day about school (what is being studied, any interesting thing from the school), recognize and acknowledge your child’s academic achievements.

• Parents provide an environment that is safe for their children: First, parents should keep child free from physical, sexual, and emotional abuse.

• Provide your child with basic needs such as water, plenty of nutritious foods, shelter, a warm bed with sheets, blankets, and a pillow, medical care as needed/ medicine when ill and clothing that is appropriate for the weather conditions.

• Provide your child with self-esteem needs: Accept your child’s uniqueness and respect his/her individuality, encourage (do not push) your child to participate in a club, activity, or sport. Notice and acknowledge your child’s achievements and pro-social behavior, encourage proper hygiene (to look good is to feel good, or so they say!) and set expectations for your child that are realistic and age-appropriate.

• Teach your child morals and values: teach him/her to be honest, to respect, to be responsible, to have compassion, to be patient, to forgive, and to be generous.

• Develop mutual respect with your child: Use respectful language, respect his/her feelings, opinions, respect his/her privacy, respect his/her individuality.

• Provide discipline, which is effective and appropriate: discipline for children should be Structured, Consistent, Predictable and Fair.

• Get to know your child: Spend quality time together, be approachable to your child, ask questions, and regularly communicate with your child.

Application activity 3.1.2

MANIRARORA is a parent who has a young girl in a private school in Kigali. He pays school fees for her, as it is required for the school, and provides her other required school materials and thinks that it is enough for her to succeed well. Finally, he is surprised to hear that her daughter fails at school. He complains saying that, he fulfilled all his responsibilities and her daughter deceives her. Based on the different ways parents may involve in the child’ education.

1. Does surely MANIRARORA fulfill his responsibilities successfully as parent in the education of his daughter?

2. Comparing to what you learnt about the roles and responsibilities of parents in the child’s education, in which other ways should MANIRARORA be involved in his child’s learning?

3.1.3. The factors that influence parental involvement

Activity 3.1.3

Read this scenario and answer the related questions:

MASENGESHO is a student at primary school, her father works far from home and the school, he is reluctant to visit her at school when it is needed, and does not even attend the meetings at school because he is always busy finding what can make his family survive. When MASENGESHO asks her mother to assist her to make homework, she does not accept because, she is unable to understand content in English, she cannot even find time to hear MASENGESHO’s problems because she has other two younger babies to care for (one of two years old and another of one-year-old). 

After reading this scenario, what are the factors that cause the parents of MASENGESHO not to be effectively involved in their daughter’s education?

a. Parents’ cognition

This is a major contributor. It has three forms:

- Parents’ aspirations: idealistic hopes/goals that parents form regarding future attainment. Parents with higher aspirations are more likely to be more willing to exert efforts to ensure that those aspirations are realized.

- Parents’ self-efficacy: this refers to ‘’beliefs’’ in one’s capacities to organize and execute the courses of action required to produce given attainments (Bandura. 1997).

- Parents with high self-efficacy are generally more optimistic; authoritative and constant in their interactions with their children than are those with lower parenting self-efficacy. These parents with high self-efficacy are more likely to monitor their children’s school work and to participate actively at school site (Grolnick, Benejt, Kurowski & Apostoler, 1997).

- Parents’ perception of the school: parents’ degree of involvement is likely to be affected by the school itself. If teachers appear to care about the welfare of the child, communicate respect for parents, and develop effective means of communicating with families, parents are more willing and able to become involved in their children’s schooling (Hoover- Dempsey & Sandler, 1997).

b. Family-related factors

- Socio-economic status: affluent/rich parents are more involved in educational activities at the school than poor parents.

- Family size: children are major expense. Larger families require a greater investment of time to engage in activities at school site and would be less likely to become involved in day-to-day interactions with children at home.

- Employment status: employment may reduce the amount of time and energy parents have for interacting with their children and becoming involved in their schooling. Nonetheless, employment may boost parents’ support for children’s schooling by making financial resources available for lessons and materials.

- Sex of the child: in some cultures, parents tend to favor boys over girls. They become involved in the boy’s schooling than they do for girls. Some even will not enroll their daughters in school.

Application activity 3.1.3

Apart from the factors that influence parental involvement in the children’s education mentioned above, with clear examples describe other factors that can affect parental involvement.

3.1.4. Challenges related to parental involvement in education

Activity 3.1.4

Many parents are very eager and enthusiasm to contribute considerably in their children’s education; but some encounter problems that hinder their effective involvement. For example, one parent at a certain school used to visit his son at school, but the security guard was not flexible to allow him enter the school. The leaders were always rude to him, and when he changed and used telephone, the school staff members were not careful to him and finally gave up. Based on this example, suggest other challenges that hinder parent’s involvement in education.

Anything that can hinder or affect negatively the involvement of parents in the education of their children is referred to as challenge. Among challenges there are for example:

- Shortage of time: Parents have to work to maintain the financial standing of the family. They have to work from the morning to evening. In particular, if there has been a divorce or death in the family, they probably have trouble financially. Therefore, the parents are busy finding out what to eat and miss time to involve in their children’s education.

- Bad experience: Some parents do not feel welcomed to go to school. They might have bad experience or memories at school such as they are the victims of school violence or they have failed in school. Therefore, they would not have desire to return to a place that reminds them their own failures or nightmares.

- Illiteracy: Some parents may not want to go to school because they think that they are illiterate, they feel not confident to talk or do not know what to talk to teachers, and they do not know the system of the school.  This is an excuse for those parents to neglect their children’s education. Moreover, they also believe that only teachers are responsible for their children’ education as they are professionals in the field. If their children

do not do well at school, they will blame teachers. They do not understand their responsibility towards their children’s learning.

- Lack of sensitiveness from the school system: When the school does not care about the parental involvement in education, most of parents just don’t care, too. Some parents really need to be encouraged to involve more in their children’s education and they need the school to understand their socioeconomic level, personal, and financial problems, etc. Furthermore, when the parents want to involve in their children’s education, some schools don’t encourage or sometimes accuse them of interference.

Application activity 3.1.4

In your village, there are parents who have children who study in nursery, primary as well as in secondary schools. Study and analyse the challenges parents face when trying to get involved in their children’s education.

3.2. Community involvement

3.2.1. Importance of community involvement in education

Activity 3.2.1

In one school, there was a serious problem of drop out. Therefore, the head teacher made a report respectively to the executive secretary of the cell and the executive secretary of the sector. Then after, the executive secretary of the sector ordered that every member of the community should report any case of school dropout and identify its causes. Some reported the cases of students who lacked the school uniform and other related school materials while others reported the cases of children who head families. From that time, the executive secretary of the sector made advocacy for those children. Some community members decided to send back their children to school and accept to contribute money to help poor families. Now those students are learning well.

After reading this scenario, explain how the community played a great important role to the learning of the students who dropped out.

The term community means more than just a group of people living within a neighbourhood. It may be generally described as a group of people who are linked in some way. A common definition of community emerged as a group of

people with diverse characteristics who are linked by social ties, share common perspectives, and engage in joint action in geographical locations or settings. The community is part of young children’s education. It can recognize education as performing a vital community service and be willing to come together to exchange experience. Children are not only our future, but they are part of our community’s present. Therefore, all members of the community should work together to ensure quality education of the young generation as it is very significant as it is explained below:

When schools, parents, families, and communities work together to support learning,

• Students tend to earn higher grades,

• Attend school more regularly,

• Stay in school longer, and enrol in higher-level programs.

• The cases of drop out are eliminated as well as other educational related issues.

• All needs and interests of children are met successfully.

With these important benefits in mind, it is clear that a focus on increasing community involvement programs and opportunities should be a consistent goal for your school.

Application activity 3.2.1

In your own words and according to your experience, discuss how community involvement in education is paramount important.

3.2.2. The roles and responsibilities of community involvement in education

Activity 3.2.2

Read this scenario and answer the question asked after the scenario. In our cell, all people aged 18 years and above, except those in old age, go for community work on Saturday of the last week of each month. In community work, they do different activities; for example, cleaning roads and participating in school construction. When they finish community work of the day, they all sit together and discuss the emerging issues that should be taken seriously by every member of the community.

Among the issues that are often discussed include dropping out of students, child abuse, and teenager pregnancies in secondary school and in the community. They condemn publicly those who cause students to drop out and those who engage children in forced labour.

From this scenario, highlight the ideas showing the role of community involvement in education.

Among the roles and responsibilities of community involvement in education we can mention:

- Establishing schools and child development centers.

- Providing a conducive environment for children to learn through community work ‘’umuganda’’ community members can build classrooms, clean the school environment and even the surroundings to ensure safety so that all possible dangers are removed.

- Sponsoring feeding programs: community members can initiate incomegenerating projects to get financial resources.

- Providing land for establishing schools: the center must be built within the

community to help children access it easily. Therefore, the community is supposed to provide the land.

- Providing physical resources: all the equipment and teaching materials will not be bought; some can be provided by the community.

- Providing expert in different domains: those are different technical support such as doctors, carpenters, engineers, old people, teachers, trainers, leaders, etc.

Application activity 3.2.2

Based on your experience discuss the role of community in early preprimary, primary and secondary education.

3.2.3. Factors that influence community involvement in education

Activity 3.2.3

Read the scenario and answer the question:

In our sector the leaders are fair to all members of the community. They explain every thing which is useful to the individual as well as general society, and encourage all members to be active and participate in the development of all sectors found in the sector including education sector. When it is time for community meeting, the school leaders come and announce the educational issues that require community involvement. When there is something at school that requires immediate community involvement, for example in the case of strong wind at the level it destroys some buildings at school, the school leader communicates directly the local leaders for help and the local leaders mobilizes the community members to go for community work to repair the destroyed buildings.

Question

Analyze the above scenario and identify factors that influence members of the community, from the local leaders to the families, in the school activities

As education is not offered, taken and benefited by one member of the community, it is the reason why it requires all members of the community involvement to ensure the quality of education given to the children of the community.

Community involvement is most of the time influenced by the following factors.

• The awareness of the community on their roles in education: when members of the community are aware of the way they can contribute in education, they are more likely to participate actively as much as possible in the education of their children. Contrary, when they do not even know their roles and responsibilities, they do not contribute in education.

• Communication and information sharing between the school and the community: it requires effective communication between the schools and the community around because the members of the community cannot support unknown activity, it requires the leaders to communicate to them and suggest the ways he/she wants the community to help.

• Management capacity among the community leaders: the way the leaders manage the members of the community can influence their engagement in different services of the community including education services. This is because there are many activities that require advocacy and mobilization

of leaders to influence the participation of community members. Therefore, if the leader is able to convince community members, they will be more likely to take part in education development but if the leader does not have the skills for community advocacy and mobilization, the members of the community will not participate.

• Availability of financial resources for the community to participate in the educational activities. Surely, finance is needed everywhere in implementation in any activity. Therefore, educational services also needs money. When the community members do not have money, it is impossible to support children who are from poor families or the children without families but when the community members have enough money, they participate in education more confidently.

Application activity 3.2.3

In your community, there are different people who should work together to contribute in education. Discuss factors that influence that community involvement in education.

3.2.4. Challenges related to the community involvement in education

Activity 3.2.4

Previously, you learnt the similar lesson (challenges related to the parental involvement) in the sub-unit 3.2. Now go back to the content in the heading

3.1.4, make a revision, analyze it and demonstrate whether there are some challenges related to parental involvement that can also be applied to the community involvement in education.

The challenges that may hinder community involvement in education include the following:

• Lack of effective communication: to ensure effective involvement for all members of the community, there should be effective communication. Unfortunately, some school leaders do not communicate well to the community and therefore no involvement of it in the functioning of the school. If there is no communication between school leaders, local leaders as well the general members of the community, there is no other way they can be aware of the education programs that need partnership.

• Fear for some member of the community to announce their opinions that may contribute to the improvement of education in the community: some members may have the idea but providing it is a problem: they are not confident and fear to talk in the public.

• Lack of time to meet in order to discuss the educational issues (Younis, 2002): some members of the community are always busy for their own activities and do not have time to attend the meeting concerning education.

If they do not attend because they are always busy in other businesses, they will not involve effectively in education.

• Some members of the public are not sure of the benefits of their contribution (Israel, Coleman, Illvento, 1993): if members in the community do not know what they can benefit from involving in education, it means they do not know the importance of community involvement in education.

• Lack of interesting programs in the schools located in the community that may attract the involvement of community in education: members of the community will be interested in their involvement in education, when there are good designed projects that call the involvement of the community.

Unfortunately, most of the school leaders do not have the skills for designing such attractive projects.

• Some schools in the community do not have skills to involve community in the functioning of the school.

Application activity 3.2.4

Refer to the community in your sector; identify the challenges related to the community involvement in education.

3.3. Strategies to increase parental and community involvement in education

Activity 3.3

Read the scenario and answer the question asked after the scenario

Simon is an exemplary teacher in his school, fluent speaker and an opinion leader in his sector. When there is an issue that requires the involvement of every member of the community, the executive secretary of the sector plans meeting for every cell of the sector to take place on different dates and invites Simon in each cell.

The target to call Simon is to help in mobilizing the community about their involvement to the solution of the arise issue. The executive secretary of the sector also ensures effective communication with cell executive secretary and chairpersons of the village who always interact with people in the community. The executive secretary of the sector also plans the training for every subsidiary leader to ensure the total elimination of the issue, and finally he reaches the target.

Question:

Referring to the information in the scenario, what are the strategies used by the sector executive secretary to ensure that all community members are involved to reach the reliable solutions to the issues that arose in the sector?

Previously, you learnt about the challenges that affect parental as well as community involvement in education, now in this sub-unit 3.3 you will learn about the strategies to overcome those challenges and increase parental and community involvement. Those strategies are described here below.

A. Effective communication and advocacy

There is effective communication in a school when the school and the families or community communicate effectively about school programs and learners progress. Advocacy is defined as any action that speaks in favor of, recommends, argues for a cause, supports or defends, or pleads on behalf of others.

For effective communication and advocacy, the following strategies can be used:

• Parents’ and community meeting: regularly the schools should hold a meeting with the student’s parents and involves the community representatives like the local leaders (chairperson of the village, cell executive secretary, etc..). This meeting is to show the process of what the school is doing in education programs, the responsibilities of the school to ensure the holistic development of their children. Particularly, the school should explain them what it wants the parents and community to contribute to the betterment of the school and how important their responsibilities and involvement are in their children’s education.

• Home visits and community outreach: the school should go directly to the families to follow up and discuss issues regarding to student problems, recruit new students and bring back the students who have dropped out of the school. By doing this the school team can profit an occasion and explain to families and members of the community about their children’s problems so that they can build a trusting relationship with each other to ensure the quality education of children.

• Written reports to parents: when, it is time for students to go home at the end of the term, the school should make a report for individual students about their progress records and the requirements for next term improvement and be sent to their respective parents. And again, make another report to the community through the local leaders about the students’ performance and desired help for better improvement.

• Phone calls: when it is an obvious issue to be solved immediately, the school can communicate parents who are concerned or one of relevant community leaders if need be to discuss the issue and find solution. For example, if one student went out of the school without permission, his/her parent may be called to advise him/her, and also if one student is sick his/her parent should be called to intervene to the health care of the student.

• Community workshops: providing many important workshops to students’ parents, and community members about income generating activities, small business enterprise, budget training, child protection, traffic law, environment, health and nutrition. These workshops equip them with the skills and knowledge to ensure their family relationships, financial situation, health and safety, and so on. When they gain more knowledge and their family situations are better, they will more likely to involve in their children’s learning.t

B. Community education

Community education is a process of personal and community transformation, empowerment, social change and collective responsiveness (AONTAS, 2000). It may also be described as a process of empowering people to identify, realize and manage their resources effectively and wisely. Community education builds the capacity of groups to engage in developing a social teaching and learning process that is creative, participative and needs-based. And when the community members are satisfied with their needs, they are more likely to involve considerably with enthusiasm in their children’s education.

• Principles of community education

- Self-termination: identify people’s needs and wants.

- Self-help: people acquire self- reliance than dependence. They help themselves.

- Leadership development: the use of leadership capacities of local citizens are prerequisites for on-going self-help and community improvement efforts. E.g.: parent’s committees are established in order to manage ECD centers properly.

- Localization: services, programs, events and other community involvement opportunities should be brought to closest to where people live for public participation. These activities should be decentralized for members’ success.

- Integrated delivery of services: organizations and agencies that operate for the good of a community should establish a close working relationship with others with related purposes.

- Maximum use of resources: the physical, financial and human resources of every community should be interconnected and exhaustively utilized in order to meet the diverse needs and interests of the community.

- Inclusiveness: the programs, activities and services should involve the broadest possible cross sections (age, gender, religious, ethnic, social, economic,)

- Responsiveness: programs and services should respond to needs and interests of the community members.

- Lifelong learning: learning begins at the birth or earlier and continues until death. This learning may be formal, informal or non-formal.

• Importance of community education

- Community education promotes critical reflection, norms, values and structures; empowers and enables the community members to play an influential role in shaping their lives.

- Community education is an effective way of reaching large numbers of people in needy/poor situations and areas.

- For development in a community, members need community education.

- Community education liberates people from dependency syndrome.

- Community education leads to an increased ability to act as part of a united community for improved living.

- Community education nurtures/encourages the wellbeing of the participants and their community.

• Principles of community education by Paulo Freire

- No education is ever neutral: education results to something.

- Community education must be relevant: it should be chosen in relation to the context of a particular community and to identification of gaps.

- Community education poses a problem: This is because community education seeks to avert/prevent undesirable situation before it becomes unmanageable. People are equipped with ideas on strategies they could embark (get on) on to solve an identified problem. Problem posing helps people to understand who they are, where they have come from and where they are so they can approach the future more wisely.

- Community education should be a mutual learning process: this is based on the fact that no one knows it all and no one is ignorant of everything. Everyone makes his/her meaningful contribution. Everyone is either a teacher or a learner at some point.

- Community education should involve reflection and action: members of the community should be allowed to critically reflect on their situation and to think of ways in which existing gaps could be filled.

- Community education should lead to radical transformation: this emphasizes the transformation of the whole world and the fact that everyone has a role to play.

C. Community mobilization

Community mobilization is a process of reacting awareness and motivating a group of people to invite their voluntary support and involvement in identification and then prioritization of their need, and development of willingness to take the necessary action. Community mobilization is the process of building community capacity to self-identify priorities, resources, needs and solutions in such a way as to promote representative participation, good governance, accountability and peaceful change (MercyCorps, 2009).

• Skills required for community mobilization

- Appropriate skills for communication

- Help people to be free to express themselves and diagnose their needs

- Help community members to plan and act together in terms of organization

- Have skills to create a rapport/relationship with community members

- Be able to facilitate an affirming atmosphere that helps members to develop confidence

- The mobilizer should help community members work as a team

• Entering the community for mobilization

When entering the community, one must be ready to:

- Look, listen and learn (3Ls): every community is unique hence no one can claim to understand the organizational behaviors and practices of a new community.

- Avoid creating false anticipation: Creating too high expectations often prompts/ encourages frustration and thus failure of a project.

- Be ready to study the community by participating in their activities: it is not easy to understand a community without getting involved in their activities.

- Find out more about community’s beliefs (religion, cultural values,)

- Find out who the opinion leaders are: opinion leaders are reference persons to give cues on how to respond in any situation.

- Study the organizational structure of the community: hierarchical structures vary among groups of people. Some are submissive others are dominant.

- Find out whether other agencies have been there before you and investigate their performance: it is very good to learn from others’ mistakes or success. But avoid duplicating.

- Consult the office concerned: you must look for clearance form of the local authority.

- You must be ready to conduct a survey: to establish the real situation, you must carry out some investigation in form of survey.

Application activity 3.3

You are from different sectors and the people in those sectors are different for example people in town behave and understand things differently. Strategies you can use to involve people in any project require firstly understanding them (being aware of their education level, economic status, interest and needs). Now, suppose that you are a teacher at certain school, and most of the community members think that only academicians should be involved in education. Referring to their understandings describe the different strategies that you will use to increase their involvement in education.

End unit assesment

1. Compare and contrast the education system where the teachers, parents and community are involved to the education system where only teachers are involved.

2. There are factors that may affect positively or negatively parental and community involvement in education. Discuss them.

3. Discuss strategies that may be used to increase the community and parental involvement in education.