Browsing by Author "Pillay, Devalingum Saminathan"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Parents and principals as partners in creating a culture of learning
    (1998) Pillay, Devalingum Saminathan; Urbani, G.
    The aim of this study was to pursue an investigation on parents and principals as partners in creating a culture of learning. From the literature study it became evident that education in South Africa has collapsed in many schools. The majority of schools of the former education departments responsible for Black education are characterised by a high failure rate, early school dropout, a lack of discipline, low morale and an anti-academic attitude amongst pupils. To these schools very little has changed since 1994. It would appear that a "culture of teaching and learning" in these schools does not exist. The ongoing turmoil in these schools underscores the failure of parents and principals to work together as partners in assuming responsibility for creating a culture of learning. Creating a culture of learning involves a collaborative act between parents and principals. Neither the parent nor the principal alone can fulfil the task of educating the child adequately. In the interest of the education of the child, the contact and cooperation between parents and principals should denote a partnership. Although the premise exists that parents (child's primary educator) and principals (child's secondary educator) are indispensable partners for creating a culture of learning, the situation is far from satisfactory. A huge majority of schools in the previously disadvantaged African community has failed badly. The causes for the absence of a learning culture can be attributed to factors concerning the pupils, factors concerning the school environment, problems concerning the homes of pupils and their living environment as well as the lack of parental involvement in the formal education of their children. Parents and principals as educators have a vital role to play in creating a culture of learning. Parents should have no uncertainties as to their educational responsibilities as primary educators. Principals are both educational leaders and managers and their primary task or responsibility is to ensure that effective teaching and learning takes place at their schools. For the purpose of the empirical investigation two separate self-structured questionnaires for parents and principals were utilised. In addition five postulates pertaining to a partnership between parents and principals were formulated to give direction to this study. The questionnaires that were completed by parents and principals were analyzed and thereafter the data that were obtained was processed and analyzed. This study has confirmed that a meaningful partnership between the parents and the principals is lacking in the majority of schools with regard to the mutual sharing of: * responsibilities; * information; * decision-making; * skills; and * accountability. In conclusion a summary was presented and based on the findings of this study, the following are some of the recommendations that were made: * Effective media-based parent education programme on parental involvement must be instituted. * The establishment of schools as community learning centres must receive immediate attention. * The principal must receive training in and accept responsibility tor initiating parental involvement. The Department of Education and Culture must: ° ensure that parents and principals are encouraged and supported to become partners in creating a culture of learning by providing them with the necessary guidelines and information; ° make certain that workshops, seminars, lectures and in-service training programmes are conducted for principals on school management and parental involvement; ° provide all members serving on Governing Bodies full training and support in the responsible exercise of their duties, powers and functions; and ° actively propagate the importance of nurturing a harmonious partnership between parents and principals by promoting mutual trust, respect, loyalty, frankness and understanding for each other. The teaching profession and teacher unions must assume responsibility for creating a culture of learning. The principals and inspectors must ensure that effective teaching is taking place at schools. In undertaking their teaching responsibilities, teachers must become highly professional. The principals and teacher unions must take disciplinary actions against those teachers who violate the code of conduct for teachers.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    A psychopedagogic perspective of the relationship between the principal and the governing body
    (1995) Pillay, Devalingum Saminathan; Vos, M.S.; Urbani, G.
    The aims of this study were to: • research the relationship between the school principal and the governing body by means of a literature study; • establish how the relationship between the principal and the governing body influences the child's education; • determine, in the light of the findings obtained, certain guidelines according to which a harmonious relationship between the principal and the governing body can be established. The school as an educational institution was established by society when parents experienced feelings of inadequacy in the performance of their educative task. They no longer had the ability to guide and accompany the child with respect to the specialised subject matter and the requirements of modern society- Consequently parents nowadays send their children to school to receive formal education. However, parents cannot and may not delegate the privilege and responsibility of their children's education to the school, and must retain the primary responsibility of their children's education. They should therefore be involved in the formal education of their children at school. The primary and functional task of the school is the formal education and training of its pupils. For the school to perform this task efficiently, effective management is necessary, and it is this management that lies in the hands of the principal. The management activities of the principal includes planning, organisation, guidance and control. As the educational leader. there is no one other person with a greater influence on every facet of school life than the principal, and it is his perception of education and teaching that is reflected in all the facets of the life of his school. His personality as a leader not only influences the job satisfaction of his staff members, but with the passage of time becomes a cardinal factor that guides the morale and quality of the school as an educational institution. The principal is also the pivot upon which all the school activities hinge, and the quality of his performance as the leader of a team of trained and selected professionals is a determining factor in the success or failure to achieve the primary objective of the school. Organised parent involvement in the formal education of children is embodied in statutory parent bodies, such as governing bodies, and in non-statutory parent bodies such as parent-teacher associations (PTA's). Parent bodies offer the parents who elected them a high level of representation in matters concerning the formal education of their children. The governing body is the mouthpiece of the parents in the community, with statutory powers to implement decisions which have been made. Therefore, forma! education does not function in a vacuum. The family as a primary, and the school as a secondary community should work together and a spirit of partnership should exist between the family and the school for the benefit of the child's education. Furthermore, parental involvement in school matters should take place in an organised and orderly fashion. Parents and principal become partners In the learning and becoming of non-adult members of the community. Neither the parents nor the principal alone can fulfil the education task completely. They require each other's cooperation in this regard. It has become evident that the family and the school as partners have mutual expectations of each other. Only if a relationship of mutual trust, respect and understanding between the principal and the governing body exists, and if concordant objectives relating to educational matters are pursued, can these expectations be realised. It is generally acknowledged that this relationship is indispensable for the harmonious, functional and effective accomplishment, not only of educative teaching in the school, but also of education in the primary education situation in the family. The parents and the principal should function as equal partners in an educational partnership. In the light of the findings of this research, recommendations concerning the following were formulated: • Principles governing parent involvement. • Effective parental involvement. • Management of parental involvement by the principal. • Communication between school and home. • Parent orientation and training. Functions of the governing body.