Practical partnerships in education : the plight of education at informal settlements

Abstract

A literature and an empirical study disclosed that parental involvement in school activities has too little impact in education at different schools in the Dl 1 area. The literature study revealed that neither arguments for, nor arguments against parental involvement in school activities should be overemphasized at the expense of the principals and SGB's. The educators are taking no initiative to improve or build up home-school relationships with parents or with the community. For better results there should be: educator-parent involvement, which is essential in promoting and supporting school performance, teaching and learning, and in the general well-being of the citizens of the future; and a parental involvement, which can make a valuable contribution to the educational process through commitment to and knowledge of their children. The empirical method, using questionnaires, was successful in obtaining information about parental involvement in school activities. It also established how co-ordination can be successful at school between the principals, SGB's, educators, parents and learners in the promotion of effective education implementation. The study established that, if practical partnerships succeed, benefits will be reaped from increased parental involvement, in that there could be: an improvement of learners' academic achievement, attitudes and inspiration; an increased motivation to attend school; an involvement by the community in the structures of the school; parental assistance in the management of a school within the School Management Team and the School Governing Body; an improvement of home-school communication; an improvement at schools in all respects; and the end-product will not only be the creation of an atmosphere conducive to teaching and learning, but proper, practical partnerships will be established in the educational system in these areas. A number of recommendations were made with regard to the research findings for the Johannesburg South Mega District (Dl1).