Improving Schools From A Parent's Perspective

It is unfortunate that in many schools, there is limited interaction with the parents of students. In order to create a holistic healthy learning environment, it is important for parents to be involved in the school so that together the faculty and parents can better facilitate students in their learning process and exam preparation.

Here are some simple ways by which the schooling system can be improved in order to facilitate more engagement from parents.

1.    Send A Weekly Newsletter
Keeping parents in the loop through a weekly newsletter or email chain is a great way for schools to update parents on the latest happenings in the school. For example, the newsletter can inform parents of upcoming sport’s weeks, mock examinations, and alert them when the official date sheets for BISE board exams are released. This way, the parents will have no reason to feel as though they are uninformed about their child’s education.

2.    Parent-Teacher Meetings
Arranging a conference between teachers and parents can significantly boost parent engagement in the school, as they will have the chance to come to the school, see the classrooms, and communicate with the teachers. This also gives the faculty an opportunity to explain their teaching methods, exam preparation coverage, and any concerns that they have.

3.    Interactive Sessions For Parents
These sessions can be arranged in the school’s auditorium, or simply in a large classroom. It can give the school a chance to hold an open session to discuss with parents any new decisions that are being implemented, and tactics for exam preparation of the final BISE board exams. Parents, on the other hand, will get an open chance to ask any questions regarding the school’s curriculum, the BISE board exams, and future opportunities for their child. 

4.    Send Syllabus
At the beginning of each school year, the school should send the syllabus of each student to their respective parents. For example, the 9th class biology teacher can send the updated syllabus to the parents of each of their students. This way, the parents will know exactly what the student is learning, and can help track their exam preparation. Moreover, sending a course breakdown explaining how the teacher intends to cover the syllabus will allow parents to ensure that students are doing regular BISE pastpapers practice for each topic covered.

These steps will not only improve parent engagement in the school but will also allow for a better educational experience for students, where the parents and teachers work together to help the student excel in their BISE board exams e.g Federal Board, Karachi Board, Lahore Board etc. Good luck!