Obtaining a quality education is one of the most important aspects of a young person’s life. But education not only happens inside the classroom but also at home. Here, a strong home-school partnership connects parents and schools that helps children learn better and grow confidently.
Good education teaches knowledge, skills, and values, making children ready to become responsible adults. This blog talks about home-school partnership, its importance, and the challenges in Pakistan. Later, we explore what parents should know about child classroom in Pakistan.
Let’s start!
Home-School Partnership
A Home-School Partnership is a special programme that consists of a connection between parents and the school of child. Both teachers’ and parents’ hand-in-hand efforts play a fundamental role in defining and accomplishing the goals of a student
Basically, the purpose of this partnership programme is to have collaboration among parents and teachers, which leads to positive academic and social outcomes. A student can only achieve the anticipated results if parents’ involvement is active, consistent, and effective.
It means both parents and teachers work together to help their children do their best in school. Home-school partnerships not only involve parents’ teaching meetings (PTM) once or twice a year. But it also involves proper communication, good cooperation, and shared responsibility between the teacher and parents.
Features of Home-school partnership
More specifically, home-school partnership helps parents understand what is happening in the classroom and how they can support their child’s learning. Further, it also helps teachers understand the needs of children better and respond to them.
Below are the points that are part of this partnership:
- Regular communication of parents and teachers.
- Sharing information related to schoolwork, school events, and learning goals by teachers.
- Likewise, parents share with teachers about what happens at home. It involves the child’s learning, routines, strengths, or challenges.
- Both parents and teachers focus on points that support the child’s success.
Why is Home-School Partnership Important in Pakistan?
There are certain important factors that necessitate the presence of a strong partnership between parents and teachers in Pakistan. The importance of home-school partnership is shown through the factors given below:
Better Learning Outcomes
As the name implies, this partnership results in improved learning among students. The children learn better when both parents and teachers are involved and work together.
Children can understand lessons more easily and the retention of these concepts improves. This is when parents know what their child is learning and talk with their child about school and their ongoing activities. Also, it is due to teachers knowing more about what is happening at home that allows them to help students in better ways.
Improved Classroom Behavior
Another thing that makes home-school partnership important is the improved and cooperative behavior in the classrooms. Students’ behaviour in the classroom is closely related to parents’ involvement. It is certainly the most indispensable determining factor in academic progress and character building of a child.
Those children who behave better in school and are more confident in class whose parents and teachers stay in touch for academic reasons. Moreover, children feel more supported and secure when both parents and teachers give consistent messages about good behavior.
Higher Academic Performance
Increased academic performance is another important point in the strong partnership between home and school. Parents’ involvement in the academic learning of their children studying at the school level results in higher marks in the exams.
One study in Pakistan stated that children whose parents are involved in their school life understand their subjects more deeply and tend to score better in exams. This is because the child gets academic and emotional assistance not only at school but also from the family at home.
Stronger Parent-Child Relationship
The last, most important factor that makes home-school partnership important is the stronger parent-child relationship. Parents can better support the child when they know about classroom activities, assignments, and school expectations. Their relationship becomes stronger when parents show interest and care in their child’s learning journey.
Another study assesses the role of parental involvement in the academic performance of primary school students. It stated that parents’ qualifications, occupation, and confidence play a significant role in a child’s academic achievements. This ultimately improves the bond between parent and child.
What are the Challenges in Home-School Partnership in Pakistan?
There are some challenges that need to be overcome to improve the connection between parents and the school. Some of the challenges are:
- Absence of effective communication between parents and schools regarding the student’s performance.
- Less or no meetings due to the busy schedules for parents and teachers.
- Lack of knowledge about school teaching methods by parents.
- Shyness of parents to talk with teachers.
- Not enough activities by schools that involve parents’ cooperation.
However, these challenges can be overcome when both parents and teachers try hard and make things right and workable.
One study suggests the best solution to improve the relationship between parents and teachers. This study stated that educational institutions should adapt their strategies for parental engagement to accommodate the needs of families and offer support as needed.
What Parents Should Know About Child Classroom and Learning?
There are some factors that need to be followed by parents for an effective home-school partnership are as follows:
- Parents should know about the classroom activities, such as what subjects their child is studying, what homework they receive, and what projects or school events are coming up.
- They need to understand the teacher’s expectations for their child, such as following classroom rules, completing homework, and preparing for assessments.
- Another thing that parents need to do is regularly check their child’s progress and performance in school through report cards, quizzes, or talk about the school day.
- Also, parents should have knowledge about their child’s behavior in class, such as listening to the teacher, participating in class, and finishing tasks.
Schools in Pakistan with Home-School Partnership
There are many schools in Pakistan with a home-school partnership that often arrange
- Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA)
- Online updates
- Regular printed reports
- Workshops and Training programmes
Moreover, these schools have an aim to build a team of parents and teachers that facilitates the success of students. Also, they prepare special guides for parents to make them an important part of the learning process.
In these institutions, teachers work with parents to ensure the non-stop learning process of students at home. They prepare introduction packs for parents, arrange meetings, and establish a continuous stream of communication. They believe that home-school partnerships lead to a positive behavioral change and higher motivation for learning in students.
Why Home-School Partnership Matters?
Home-school partnership is an association between parents and teachers that emphasizes learning and the success of children. Children can feel confident, learn more, and do better in life when both parents and teachers communicate openly, support each other, and work together.
Moreover, parents should learn about their child’s classroom, talk to teachers, help with homework, and attend school events. On the other hand, teachers should also keep parents informed and create a welcoming space for communication.
Thus, children can reach their full potential with a strong partnership that brings success not only in academic results but also in emotional and social growth.
