DOHA: Low turnout of parents at meetings with teachers at Independent schools is one of the major challenges being faced by school authorities.
The turnout in some schools is as low as 25 percent, or a fourth of students’ strength.
School operators say they find such low turnout for scheduled one-to-one meetings with teachers is discouraging.
The low turnout is despite the fact that parents are informed through SMS and students’ diaries. Some schools say they also make phone calls to inform parents about the meetings, but the turnout is nevertheless low.
Yusuf Al Abdullah, an operator of Abdulrahman Bin Jassem Preparatory Independent School for Boys, said the turnout at meetings in his institution was not more than 10 percent.
“Parents’ attitude has a negative impact on students’ performance and behaviour,” Al Abdullah told the local Arabic daily Al Raya in remarks published yesterday.
If some parents attend these meetings twice a year that would suffice, but that too doesn’t happen, he said. “Parents’ response to calls for meetings with teachers is very poor at our Ali bin Abi Talib Preparatory School for Boys, school,” said operator Fahad Al Muslemani. the peninsula
“We inform them much in advance. We even call them,” he said, talking of inviting parents to meet teachers to discuss students’ performance and behavioural problems, if any.
“However, if we call them 10 times, they would respond once. That’s the average,” he added.
Such meetings give an opportunity to parents to discuss details about their children, such as academic performance, behaviour and any related problems.
“Sadly, I would say that the turnout of parents is around 20 percent,” he said.
The operator of Abu Baqr Siddiq Preparatory Independent School said his school management is keen to know why some students come late.
“This is one of the major issues we would like to raise at parent-teacher meetings,” said Ismail Abdul Baqi.
The Peninsula
