The Ministry of Education announced the completion of regulations
for partnership between parents and schools to highlight the important and
pivotal role of parents in the educational process. A guide to partnership with
parents has been issued to define the role and responsibilities of parents.
Besides, a Parents' Council has been established and an integrated plan developed
to activate parents’ role in Educational process.
This followed the conclusion of the first
Parents' Conference, entitled "Partners in Our Journey", which was
held under the patronage of HE Hussein Al Hammadi, Minister of Education. It
was organized by the Ministry of Education last week at Khalifa University in
Abu Dhabi. It came out with a set of important recommendations that would
support the efforts of the Ministry of Education to achieve complementarity
between schools and parents. This will
be followed by a series of active steps that will strengthen the role of
parents in the development of education.
The recommendations approved by the Conference
include the development of an integrated strategy for partnership with parents
to build a common vision. This vision involves empowering and training parents
to play their real and effective role in the educational process, developing a
complete system of ‘Education Ambassadors’ initiative formed of parents, and
disseminating awareness of the role of parents in the early stages of children’s
lives.
The conference also called for schools to
prepare programs to engage parents in schools through the preparation of
programs to educate parents about the importance of partnership, its impact on
children and society in general. Innovative programs and strategies will be
created to motivate parents to participate more effectively in the education of
their children and contribute more actively to the improvement of their
academic performance to graduate a leading generation capable of achieving
first place in global competitiveness.
According to the recommendations, an interactive
electronic platform will be established between parents and schools. Moreover, educational
and awareness sessions will be held on the knowledge society, the directions of
the Ministry of Education, and the sound leadership of parents. There will be
focus on national initiatives, the UAE vision and national agenda. Educational
courses will be organized to educate parents on how to raise children and
adolescents in particular properly, and how to teach them Islamic values and
the culture of the United Arab Emirates. They will be provided with awareness
of the importance of the complementary relationship between parents, schools
and students to develop and instill a sense of responsibility towards learning.
This will translate practically into the participation of all parties concerned.
A system will be developed to evaluate the involvement of parents in schools in
terms of academic, scientific and professional aspects for their children.
The recommendations included the need to
raise awareness about the importance of the integrative relationship between
parents, school and students to develop and consolidate the sense of
responsibility towards learning. This will be reflected in practice through the
participation of all concerned parties. A specific mechanism and timeframe shall
be set for disseminating and sharing regulations with parents in various direct
and virtual ways, as well as following up the quality of their implementation
at schools. A training program shall be made for parent councils to deepen
their understanding of regulations, systems and procedures so that they can
provide better support for their children's schools. In addition, an integrated
program will be prepared covering the partnership of parents in education,
health, sports and community development to build a family and community system
that achieves complementarity among all stakeholders.