The glory days

Tshwarelo Hosia | Monday April 24, 2023 06:00

At the time, there were few private schools most of which were still struggling to make an impact. Admission into a government school was considered a great honour and privilege.

Schools like Matsha College, Matshekge Hill school, Lotsane Senior Secondary then affectionately called the junior varsity, St Joseph’s College, Moeng college, Gaborone Secondary School, to name but a few, were really big brands commanding a lot of respect. Today the tables have turned. Unfortunately many public schools are struggling while private schools are flourishing. Why did things fall apart? There is no clear cut answer. There is, however, a strong view that parents are not sufficiently providing their support to schools. Schools can rise again if parents were to form a formidable partnership with schools, so goes the argument. Nonetheless, it should be recalled that at the time of inception, secondary schools were not necessarily anchored on parental support. Many of them were boarding schools designed to enroll students far away from their places of origin. The issue of parental support or lack of was not vexing at all. All had faith in the ability of schools to turnaround student learning outcomes no matter how academically challenged students were. All eyes were fixated on schools to move the majority if not all students to proficiency. And to their credit, most public schools acquitted themselves well.

However, concerns now presently raised about parental support are fairly new and traditionally the role of parents did not bother public schools some decades ago. The issue of parental engagement in the affairs of public school is increasingly becoming a subject of public scrutiny. What was a non-issue about three decades ago has now become a big issue. It will be remembered that the question of parental involvement in schools seldomly found a place in public discourse. Schools, especially secondary schools, never planned their activities around parents. Even when they desired to do so, it was always difficult to engage parents because of the geographical location of most schools. Many villages had no secondary schools and the very absence of local secondary school learning opportunities forced parents to send their children to any place where learning opportunities could be secured, regardless of the distance. Because of prohibitive costs occasioned by long distances compounded by economic hardships of the times, it was almost a futile exercise for schools to hope for active parental participation in schools. The catchment area of many schools was vast and wide and more often than not defied and crossed tribal boundaries.

The schools were national in character because the composition of their student population was multi-cultural. The only viable means of interaction and communication with parents was through half yearly and end of year academic progress reports which were delivered through postal services. Schools had to rely on students to get letters delivered to their parents or guardians. It is almost certain that not all student reports reached their destinations on time due to delays in the post offices while others probably never reached their intended recipients, either got lost or misdirected owing to incorrect addresses or some other issues relating to failure by some parents to honour postal levies. On the issue of wrongly captured addresses, one cannot rule out the possibility of foul play. Some struggling students who feared facing the possible wrath of their parents could have deliberately captured wrong postal addresses. Establishing connection between the school and parents was a very difficult exercise. Nonetheless, limited or non-existence of parental participation did not discourage schools from discharging their functions.

Schools focused on their business of teaching and learning and it was a mission they were always prepared to deliver with distinction. It must be noted, however, that where possible parents did their best within the limits of their resources. Here one could gauge parental level of commitment to the education of their children. There are stories of parents who never allowed the Christmas fever to derail their focus on education. In times of scarcity, difficult and unpopular choices were made. Economically struggling families would in the name of education let their children forgo the luxury of wearing Christmas clothes by sparing their meagre resources for procurement of school uniform and other critical teaching and learning inputs. Painful though it might have been to the young mind, with the benefit of hindsight it was a wise decision. When schools started in January those disadvantaged at Christmas time had the last laughter of benefitting from the wisdom of their parents’ prioritisation of education. For parents who placed the education of their children at the centre, even the distance factor was not a complete barrier. From a distance parents discharged with distinction and admiration their behind scenes roles. Parental responsibilities were limited to payment of school fees, procurement of books and paying of transport costs for their children mainly at the beginning and end of term for boarding schools. Matters of teaching and discipline were largely the exclusive preserve of schools.

It was only on rare occasions when a student had committed serious transgressions, which warranted suspension or expulsion, that a school would invite a parent to the school. By and large, schools managed their affairs with minimal parental support. This was perhaps due to the fact that schools considered themselves adequate to handle all matters connected to the education of students with or without parental assistance. Parental participation was never thought to be an indispensable service. Besides this, schools were ‘holy’ grounds inhabited by innocent and law abiding students. The generation of students in yesterday public schools was focused and generally played by the rules. This explains the serenity and tranquility which characterised schools at the time. Today the education landscape has changed drastically. Some schools are hot spots besieged by a number of vexing issues ranging from literacy and numeracy crisis, drugs and substance abuse to a high number of illegal weapons finding their way to schools. Coupled with challenges posed by rebel students, schools have been experiencing a downward academic trend which continues to be a source of grave concern to parents. Indeed there is an intimate relationship between students’ discipline and learning outcomes. The present education crisis compels parents to watch schools closely.

Now parents take a keen interest in what is happening in schools. When looking for learning opportunities, parents are very selective and given a choice they don’t just take their children anywhere. Active participation in the Parents Teachers Associations (PTA) by parents is a sign of a desire to influence the direction of their children’s schools and possibly learning outcomes. Parental participation is not only shown by attendance of PTA meetings but willingness to honour parental financial obligations to schools. Other parents have become instructional leaders in their homes. A lot many parents showcased their teaching prowess during the COVID-19 season. Some try their best to beef up the efforts of teachers by setting high expectations and where funds permitting, parents outsource their parental teaching responsibilities to private tutors. This development explains why education has become an expensive commodity in the market as evidenced by the mushrooming of private tutoring schools. I guess there is no town which has not witnessed the rapid development of private high schools. Somewhat, the crises plaguing public schools are a blessing in schools to educators who many not secure a place in the government pay roll. The current climate of education no longer allows parents to fold their arms and become bystanders. Schools too can no longer sit in isolation without devising strategies of luring parents. Parents need schools as much as schools need them. A multi-disciplinary approach has been hatched in many districts to nib in the bud issues of substance abuse. The future of schools and their sustainability, it would appear, does not merely depend on merely encouraging parents to support schools but it is rooted on the formation of very strong school-parental partnerships.