Bring back our PTAs

Parent Teacher Associations (PTA) are non-profit organisations that bring together parents, teaching and non-teaching staff of schools. 

Their primary aim has been to support schools to improve the educational experiences of students.

The PTAs provide a platform for sharing information, discussing concerns and fostering open dialogue among parents, teachers, administrators and the school community at large.

Central to the aim of the association is to unearth the needs of the students and encourage dialogue between parents and teachers, with the objective of finding ways of catering for these needs.

For instance, a PTA often contributes financially to school projects, infrastructural development and periodic maintenance of a school since the government alone cannot do it all.

Advocacy

Teachers also form an essential part of an association as they, among other things, play an advocacy role.

They advocate for better resources, policies and facilities from local and national authorities. Additionally, many a time, teachers serve as advocates for parents’ interests in school policies and decisions. 

Moreover, it is an undisputed fact that teachers in classrooms are in a better position to identify the problems of their learners more effectively than the heads of the institutions, as most students find it easier to communicate their challenges and needs to teachers than their heads.

Therefore, the current situation where teachers are excluded from PTA activities is unhealthy and there is, therefore, the need to immediately restore the inclusion of teachers in the association.

In addition to the advocacy role they play, teachers are effective in mobilisation, where most of them volunteer for various school activities and events that involve students and pupils.

In our towns and villages, teachers play vital roles in most community engagements that involve students. They include cultural activities and sketches on certain societal issues, which help sensitise the public. 

Discipline

Again, teachers are at the forefront of fighting indiscipline in our schools as they mostly interact with students. Teachers can implement consistent disciplinary measures that can help create a more respectful and focused learning environment in school conducive to teaching and learning.

Therefore, it goes without saying that teachers must be reinstated in the association initially meant for parents and teachers.

Additionally, there is a need for flexibility in our school system as it is the only way to accommodate diverse learning styles, individual student needs and varying paces of learning. 

Achieving this kind of flexibility requires involving teachers in decision-making in our schools to facilitate the personalisation of education, promote student engagement and foster a more inclusive environment, ultimately enhancing overall student well-being and academic success.

Policies

Now, when teachers are not involved in decision-making, the effects can be detrimental, as it can lead to a lack of buy-in for policies, decreased morale and feelings of being undervalued, resulting in lower job satisfaction, reduced collaboration and potentially hindering students’ learning outcomes as teachers may feel disconnected from the goals and direction of the school.

Since most of our teachers are at the mercy of policymakers because their voice is silenced, especially with regard to issues concerning themselves and the educational field they are in, there is a need for a collaborative effort to give them a sense of inclusion.

From all that has been mentioned, it can be concluded that teachers play an indispensable role in the various educational institutions and as such their voices cannot be stifled and their contributions cannot be downplayed.

The call is simple; we need teachers to be active in partnering with parents to ensure that our children realise the needed learning outcomes. In short, please bring back the PTAs in our schools!

The writer is a former Public Relations Officer of GES.