To raise an exceptional child, education experts suggest a close relationship between teachers and parents. They say that it’s one way of getting involved in a learner’s life, at school and at home.

Paul Gasinzigwa, a Kigali-based mentor, recalls the close connection between his parents and his teachers, and this, he says, made him a disciplined student. He says that without it, he wouldn’t have been able to achieve a lot in life. 

"When I was in high school, I remember every student was assigned to a teacher, and that teacher was called a ‘school parent’. It means that the teacher was responsible for you, and on visitation day, your parents would sit with that particular teacher for a full report on your behaviour and performance,” he recalls.

Gasinzigwa says that this worked well and that it built a strong relationship between teachers and parents.

Why it’s important

Julius Zigama, an artist and banker at I&M Bank, says the relationship creates a connection between the teacher and student in the absence of the parent.

He says that once parents create a bond with teachers, the teacher will have a better relationship with the student.

"This builds a connection between the three people. It helps students with their studies as it is important to have someone at school to approach. It also helps in controlling a student’s overall behaviour because they will be supervised regularly,” he says.

Aside from that, Zigama says that a strong relationship between the two parties will inspire academic excellence because the student’s work is supervised keenly by the teacher and parent.

Irene Mizero, the chairman and CEO at Mizero Care Organisation, is of the view that it’s essential to have effective communication when building the relationship between teachers and parents.

He says the way in which schools communicate and interact with parents affects the quality of parents’ involvement in their children’s learning.

"Parents’ involvement benefits students by promoting a positive attitude concerning schoolwork, regular attendance and interest in learning, which is the key to building academic excellence,” he says.

Mizero adds that teachers should play a role in maintaining the partnership with parents. There should be a connection between the teacher and parent through technology tools like applications, social media and email, or even phone calls.

"They should also hold regular meetings with parents to share information regarding a child’s behaviour and improvement, or lack of it. Parents and teachers should be a team,” he says.

Going deeper

Grace Nyirahabizana, a teacher from Mother Mary Complex, says this relationship acts as a network of communication between parents and teachers.

She says that if it’s possible, communication should be on a daily basis. She points out that sometimes, one party tends to leave the entire duty to the other.

"In most cases, when this happens, each party tends to think that the student is being taken care of by the other. Here, the learner is the one who suffers, therefore working together is vital,” she says.

Nyirahabizana says that in her teaching career, she has seen students whose parents don’t communicate with teachers, when they happen to go to school; their children panic because they do not know why their parents visited the school.

She adds that this can affect them in one way or another.

"Teachers should understand child psychology and try to assist parents on how to handle some issues at home, it contributes to a student’s wellbeing,” she adds. 

Homework should be consistent as this also keeps the connection between schools and home.

Research has shown that one of the most important factors affecting a child’s performance in school is how involved their parents are in their education. And that developing a healthy parent-teacher relationship is a great way to improve a child’s performance in school.

Frank Rubaduka, a chief executive at All Trust Consult Ltd Rwanda, says that it is the role of teachers and parents to ensure that students excel in their academics. They should work together. He points out that if a teacher sees potential in a child, they should be in the position to inform the parents so that they work together to nurture the child’s talent.

Nurturing and mentoring learners should be consistent.

"A student should grow in the hands of the parent and teacher,” he says.

Another reason why parents should get in touch with teachers, Rubaduka says, is to build a student’s potential outside the classroom.

If this relationship is strong, learners can be steered in the right direction. 

As a parent, Steve Burora, a mentor at Youth Impact Mission, a community organisation, believes that building a healthy relationship between the two is a great way to improve a learner’s performance in school.

"No one knows the child more than their own parents, they know their strengths and weaknesses — being their first teacher — and so they should work hand-in-hand with teachers,” he says.

If there is no communication between parents and teachers, it will have its effect. If parents want to know if their children are getting quality education, they should communicate with teachers, says Burora.

How should this be done?

Parents should ensure that there are always updated on the well-being of their children, and the only way to achieve this is through building good communication with teachers.

For example, some schools have software programmes that link students, parents and teachers. According to schools that have this technology, this is time-saving as some parents may not have time to go to school in person. Instead, they get updates and follow-up on their children’s progress.

For instance, Riviera High School adopted a system known as ‘Academic Bridge’ which updates parents on their children’s school activities wherever they are.

Fred Atinga, the deputy principal-academics at the school, says such software enhances security and safety of the child and also keeps the parent connected to teachers.

He explains that every student has an account where parents can access the child’s academic valuation and, information on their discipline, among other things. This, according to Atinga, enables parents to evaluate the school’s commitment to assessment and discipline.

He says the advantage of such software is that parents are able to get involved, participate and even follow up on their children’s academics without necessarily making trips or calls to the school.

Happy Mukamugema, a parent from Kicukiro, feels that parents should ensure that their children get all that is required in school.

The parent-teacher connection, she says, will help parents get clear feedback from teachers, especially when they want to inquire about academics.

"If there are no domestic factors that could hinder a student’s performance, and a child keeps on failing, parents should communicate with teachers to find out where the problem is,” Mukamugema says.

Another way parents can get involved, she says, is by joining PTA groups or other groups at school where they get to interact with teachers.

What they say

Aline Uwihoreye, Youth mentor Parents, students and teachers should all work hand-in-hand to get the best results in education. The ‘absence’ of one affects the sector at large. A child’s education is jeopardised completely if parents and teachers fail to work together. -----

Aminadhad Niyonshuti, Teacher Teachers should set homework for learners, and it is the parents’ duty to supervise them when doing their work so as to give teachers feedback. This is just one way to build the teacher-parent relationship. -----

Freedom Kabarere, Law student - University of Kigali For students whose either one parent is working far from home, and normally come home weekends, when there is a close relationship between them and the teacher, it guides a teacher on how to handle such students, especially being there for them. -----

Benita Uwamahoro, student Parents should be guided by teachers on how to nature their children’s talent or strengths. This should come after a teacher has observed some potential in a child.However, this cant be achieved without strong relationship between the two.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw