Pushing Initiatives To Encourage More Support For Students
Jodi-Ann Clarke
ALEXANDRIA, April 26, 2024
Many school principals and teachers will tell you that children and their schools benefit greatly when parents participate in their children’s education.
Head of Aboukir High School in St Ann says that’s very true. She is urging parents to get involved. That means knowing about their children’s schoolwork, attending PTA meetings and keeping a dialogue going with teachers and school officials.
Acting Principal at Aboukir High Marsha Virgo says while she understands the difficulties some parents face in attending PTA meetings, parental support and involvement are crucial to the performance of students.
Ms Virgo has been leading the school since October 2, 2023, as the acting principal. Aboukir High School formerly known as Aboukir
Institute was established as a Government High School in September
- There are currently 158 students on roll.
Virgo says the lack of parental involvement has been a hurdle in the
education of the students. “Education starts at home. Parents need to get involved and ask questions. Ask your children about their academic strengths and weaknesses. Come to the school and find out what is going on,” Ms Virgo said. “The current level of parental support within our school is awfully lacking. We have less than 30 per cent of committed parents and poor parenting is reflecting in some of the students’ behaviours.”
(Lurline Robertson, PTA President)
She said some of the challenges are the ongoing issue of parents not showing up when they are called to the school about their child’s or children’s behaviour. “Reports are not being collected and some parents or guardians do not even take an interest to at least attend one parent-teacher meeting,” said Ms Virgo.
The acting principal said that she sympathised with many parents who had difficulty attending PTA meetings because of their work hours or other commitments.
“I understand and it is overwhelming, especially when it is a single
parent household. However, when students are given assignments,
they turn up to school the next day without it being complete. Parents
need to take an active interest in their child’s education from
attending parent-teacher meetings to monitoring homework
completion,” said Ms Virgo.
She said that the school has been trying different strategies, such
as workshops and appreciation services, to encourage parents to
become more actively involved.
“Students are hardly coming to school, and we are trying to help out
any way we can with the yard-to-yard find-a-child initiative and care
packages because we know that many are having financial issues. We
also try to meet the parents halfway and keep them updated by
WhatsApp. We do not need more excuses; we need more interest,”
said Ms Virgo.
In response to the pandemic’s effect on the education system, in 2022 the Ministry of Education introduced the yard-to-yard, find-a-child initiative as a call to action to locate and engage students.
Lurline Robertson, the President of the Parent Teachers Association
(PTA) is urging parents to actively participate in school initiatives to
foster a more supportive environment.
“PTA meetings are the backbone of the school community. So, for the upliftment of our school, parents need to get more involved with the teaching staff. So that they can be motivated and know who the
parents are and how the issues that we are facing can be addressed,”
said Robertson.
Working along with the guidance counsellor and PTA President,
Virgo has created new initiatives to get active fathers on board to
support students at the school.
“We have also started a breakfast programme that is available three times for the week that helps students that are in need.”
She said Aboukair High is embarking on an initiative called ‘the men of valour’. We are looking for support
from parents, especially the fathers. We want the fathers to come in
and talk to the students so it can strengthen the bonds. Also to come in on a Tuesday to offer advice to the boys, knowing that every child
does not have a father figure. So far, we have few fathers working
with us, but we need more. We can not do it all, they need your
support and acknowledgement. Get involved in your children’s
education journey,” said Virgo.
Jodi-Ann Clarke is a second-year Journalism student at Northern Caribbean University.
