Role of schools in helping to fulfil parental expectations

The parents were required to talk about how the schools were helping their children fulfil the expectations they have academically, socially and culturally. The roles they mentioned have been grouped and presented.

6.3.4.1 Ways the school fulfil academic expectations

According to 19 out of the 20 parents interviewed, the teachers are teaching their children numeracy and literacy (reading and writing) or giving them the necessary education and using the learning time effectively:

‘Erm…. in fact academically, teachers are doing their best of teaching my ward how to read and write so academically he is getting good education as the nation demands, I like it in that way’.

(Parent 1) Other parents said:

‘Well, academically I think that the school’s curriculum has been able to capture all these subjects they are teaching and that has been able to help her academically’. (Parent 19)

‘The school is doing their best by giving my child the correct education that she needs…’ With the teachers teaching, my child can read and write’. (Parent 2)

‘He teaches all of them how to read, write and do maths. They go by the timetable and make sure they teach everything they are asked to by the government’. (Parent 5)

From the statements it is evident that the schools are teaching the children literacy and numeracy which is consistent with the parental expectations.

Additionally, 13 out of 20 parents said that the schools are involving them in decision-making for academic excellence at PTA meetings. Two parents’ comments on this are:

‘I as a parent, my opinion in decision is accepted and used to fashion school teaching. This decision-making is mostly done when we the parents go for PTA meetings’. (Parent 12)

‘At parents’ meetings too, we as parents help to take some

decisions to improve the school and teaching and learning’. (Parent

7)

The parents were involved in decisions that helped to improve the learning of the children. Based on the parents’ comments, parents were involved in decisions about whether or not the school should engage in extra classes to help improve the children’s academic performance among others. Parent 14 made the following comment about the benefit of letting her child engage in extra classes:

‘Academically I’m seeing improvement in her studies after the last decision that we took at PTA meetings that the children should have one hour lessons to improve their learning after school’

From Parent 14’s statement, it may be said that the decision to engage in extra classes was a good one as it improved the learning of her child.

Finally, 2 out of 20 parents said:

‘They give all attention to him and make sure he is comfortable and can hear the teacher as he has hearing problems’. (Parent 3) ‘Takes care of what the child will need educationally to learn by

focusing on only her and helping her understand things’. (Parent 4)

The bolded aspect of the comments shows that the parents were talking about the teachers giving their children individual attention and focusing on the children’s needs when teaching. This means that apart from teaching, teachers paid attention to the individual and peculiar needs of the children, as without this, it may be difficult for the children to achieve academically and ultimately fulfil their parents’ academic expectations.

From the above, it may be said that to fulfil parental academic expectations for their children in inclusive schools, the teachers were teaching the children well and using academic learning time efficiently. Additionally, they were engaging parents in some

academic decisions at PTA meetings to help improve the learning of the children. Lastly, they focused on the learning needs of some of the children.

6.3.4.2 Ways the school fulfils social expectations

The parents reported that the schools were doing three things to help their children achieve the social expectations they have of them. These were organising extracurricular activities to promote socialisation, schools/teachers engaging children in group work to promote social acceptance and socialisation and the children learning to make friends and playing together during games.

Eleven out of 20 parents made comments in relation to the schools or teachers engaging children in group work to promote social acceptance and socialisation. Some of these comments are:

‘What I know is that in the classroom they encourage the children to do group work, then during break the opportunity is given to the child to play around with his friends’. (Parent 20)

‘Socially, they learn in the same classroom, they are given group assignment where both children with handicap conditions and regular children work together and in groups and in teams and by so doing they interact and so they feel free with each other. They respect things that they say’. (Parent 10)

From the excerpts, engaging the children in group work was helping them learn the ability to mingle or interact with others, treat others equally and be treated as such and fit in the society. Parent 6 specifically mentions that group work ‘helps children

take turns and accept whoever they are to work with and do same outside school’.

Parent 10 also pointed out that in these groups the teachers combine both children with and without SEN.

Additionally, 10 out of 20 parents mentioned that the schools were organising extracurricular activities to promote socialisation. While some of the parents mentioned ‘extracurricular activities’ for example, Parent 19, others mentioned ‘after

school clubbing activities’ for example, Parent 15. Other parents went on to give

examples of these activities. Below are excerpts of the comments of the latter group of parents:

‘The school also has funfairs drama, sports, and reading groups that

is done after classes to get the children socialising’. (Parent 16) ‘Another is that after school things like Scripture Union or drama groups meetings that take place too children learn to socialise and share their interests’. (Parent 18)

The parents observed that when children engaged in these activities, they learn behaviours and the rubrics of socialisation.

Lastly, half of the parents interviewed (10) were of the view that ‘children learn to

make friends and play during games’ (Parent 2). Apart from learning to socialise

and make friends, children ‘learn not to discriminate’ (Parent 7). Possibly, playing is an effective medium through which children learn to socialise and acquire social skills in order to fulfil PE.

6.3.4.3 Ways the school fulfils cultural expectations

Fifteen out of 20 parents were of the view that parental cultural expectations for their children were being met by the school through the teaching of RME and social studies. Some parents’ comments are:

‘The school teaches cultural studies as a subject and also RME

which has parts of it teaching religion and the culture of our land’.

(Parent 3)

‘Quite apart from that there is this subject that they teach which is

religious and moral education which talks about the cultural study of the children of the community and the children are taught societal values’. (Parent 19)

The comments show that the parents are saying almost the same things. To them, the teaching of RME and social studies was one of the ways the school were teaching the children Ghanaian culture and subsequently helping to fulfil PE for their children.

Cultural displays, cultural group activities, art and craft and teaching values that society accepts are other ways the schools are helping to fulfil parental cultural expectations. Some parents said:

‘Then when it comes to culture aspect, nowadays they have been organising this cultural display and so she has been learning a lot from it’. (Parent 14)

‘….{Pause}….urm….urm, Yes that too, grouping the children for

dancing and art teach them our culture and they end up teaching all the things that Ghanaians love and treasure’. (Parent 4)

It was the opinion of these parents that as children engaged in these activities they learn Ghanaian dances, art, indigenous customs and cultural activities. Additionally, the teachers use these to portray societal values. Through this, parental desire of their children acquiring the Ghanaian culture is satisfied.

Summary

From the above, it may be said that, parents have a number of expectations for their children academically, socially and culturally. Prominent among their academic expectations are, wanting their children to be able to read, write and do well

academically. Socially, parents expect children to develop social skills, interact with others in the society, be accepted, treat and be treated equally and become good adults and citizens. Culturally, parents expect their children to learn the Ghanaians cultural norms, values, and be respectful and polite.

The schools are playing an active role in meeting parental academic expectations for their children through teaching, involving parents in decision-making, and giving individual attention to children who need it. Socially, the teachers are engaging children in group work, games, play activities and organising other extracurricular activities to help them acquire social skills and to socialise them. Finally, culturally, the teachers are teaching children the specific subjects to help them learn the culture and engaging them in specific cultural activities.