Getting parents to help in their children’s education

Some years ago, parents of students in state schools were urged to form an association. They were also encouraged to work hand in hand with teachers to ensure the welfare of students in state schools and to provide a forum for student-related issues. This is now a reality and we welcome this association.

The Maltese Association of Parents of State School Students (MAPSSS) has shown its support for targets discussed during the meeting held on the Framework for Education Strategy.

It has been made obvious that children receive 30% of their education at school. Parents have a crucial role in their children’s education. To do so, parents should be aware of the broader picture. The worrying performance of Maltese students on an international level is a serious cause for concern that needs to be addressed both at school as well as at home.

Parents need effective communication with school heads and teachers alike. The traditional update during parents’ day is simply not enough and regular meetings between parents and teachers should be held to monitor the child’s performance throughout the year. This would provide parents with the opportunity to help in the learning process of their children in a timely and efficient manner.

Parent-teacher associations are not new to schools. These started in Church schools some 50 years ago and although MAPSSS is not a PTA, the aim remains that of providing a better education to our students.

We have always encouraged participation by all stakeholders and we have stressed this many times during the public consultation meetings on the education strategy. We have set a number of goals in the Framework for Education Strategy and we aim to achieve these targets.

The government has promoted these meetings because it believes that parents have a right and a duty to contribute towards the education of their children. We are prepared to listen and evaluate any recommendation and we encourage public consultation meetings such as those held by MAPSSS.

Parents feel that the amount of homework school children are given is sometimes too much. By having smaller groups of children in class, parents believe that there would be a better student-teacher relationship and this would be more adaptable to a teaching strategy that would focus more on the students’ learning capabilities rather than their performance in exams.

A number of the concerns raised by parents coincide with those often raised by teachers. We will provide for greater participation in the drafting of school policies regarding student behaviour and promote discussion on the environment of each school.

We want active parental involvement and this, through discussion and not through information sent to parents. We need family engagement by linking it to learning at school. Active participation of parents in school councils would go a long way towards a positive and collective effort in the development of the student.

During the consultation meetings held by MAPSSS, the feedback on co-education and banding was a positive one. We have held several public meetings during which the rationale behind these policies was explained and discussed.

We have studied educational strategies in other countries and we will continue to review and if necessary amend, our educational system to provide schoolchildren in Malta and Gozo with the best possible standards of education. 

To do this we need the help of all stakeholders in our children’s education both in the preparatory stage as well as in the implementation stage.