OPINION: Fostering Parent-Teacher Relationships Key to Your Child’s Academic Success

By Juliet Baggya Nsiyona

Worldwide, parents invest a lot of time and effort to create an environment where their children can receive the best education. Whether it involves selecting schools based on their environment, curriculum, or teachers, many factors come into play when parents are making decisions about their child's education.

From an early stage, parents take on the responsibility of guiding their children through their educational journey. Small steps, such as helping their child get ready for school, assisting with homework, and attending school events, are pivotal in fostering a culture that jumpstarts a child’s journey to success through education.

While parents bear much of the responsibility in shaping a child’s educational path, teachers also play a significant role. Given how much time children spend with teachers during school days, parents need to foster a healthy relationship with their children’s teachers. This is supported by the famous African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.” In all matters concerning children, a collaborative effort is essential to bridge any gaps that may arise from the absence of either party during specific periods.

According to a 2021 report by the World Bank, research shows that the quality of teachers is a major determinant of children's learning and well-being. Based on such observations, parents are vigilant about the quality of education provided by a school when selecting an institution for their children.

Parents often look for amenities and infrastructure that offer a conducive learning environment, significantly influenced by the quality of teachers at the school. Simply put, high-quality teachers are essential for a school to provide high-quality education. The ripple effect is that a child will benefit from this environment.

As a parent, it is important to learn about the teacher under whose care you have entrusted your child. An easy way to nurture a relationship with them is by actively participating in your child’s school activities. For example, dropping your child off at school, attending meetings, concerts, sports days, etc. It is at such events that initial contact with your child’s teacher can be made.

From such interactions, exchanging honest information on the child’s progress, challenges, and areas that need improvement with the teacher can help build confidence in finding collective solutions to address the child’s education. These interactions are also important because they help gauge whether the teacher has the ideal characteristics to mentor a child.

A relationship between a parent and a teacher is crucial because it helps bridge any communication gaps that might exist between the teacher, parent, and child. This approach is useful in addressing situations where a child might be dishonest with their teacher, parent, or both. Discipline is a key virtue that parents, with the help of teachers, need to instill in their children early if they are to achieve their full potential.

However, the partnership between a parent and a teacher should not remain unchecked. It is important to balance interactions with your child’s teacher by also engaging with other school authorities to ensure that the teacher is performing their duties in line with the school’s expectations. Vigilance is crucial in such relationships because parents must ensure that their children are on course to achieve their life goals. In short, parents need to actively involve themselves in their child’s educational journey to help them attain their learning goals.

The writer is the Manager of SME Banking at Centenary Bank.