14 March 2000

Committee of Supply Debate FY2000 Reply by Parliamentary Secretary (Education) on
ROLE OF PARENTS AND COMMUNITY IN EDUCATION
1.	Holistic education of a child cannot and should not fall squarely on the shoulders of schools. Parents and the community have a role to play. I agree with both Mr Sin Boon Ann and Dr Lily Neo that we need to get our children to believe in and practise the good values taught in our schools. Parents and community too, help in moulding the child's character, building up his inner motivation, developing a sense of belonging and spirit of service to the community, and creating the environment to help him learn better. The leverage comes from parents, community and schools working in tandem to nurture our young. Also where one faces constraints, the others can rise to the call and help address the need.
2.	There are two main reasons why my Ministry is stepping up efforts in strengthening these partnerships. The first is to re-capture some of the spirit of community support or gotong royong for schools which used to come about because schools were mainly set up by the community. Today, with education being seen as the responsibility of the Government, we must try our best to rekindle the bonding, loyalties and mutual sense of responsibility among school, parents and community.
3.	The second is the changing structure of our society and homes. Dr Lily Neo mentioned that in many households, both parents work. They have less interaction time with their children. Parental expectations have also increased, as Dr Tan Boon Wan has pointed out. This is natural - every parent would want his child to succeed and thrive.
4.	We need to put in place a framework for schools to engage parents and the community in our children's education and at a level where there is mutual understanding of the fundamental purpose of education . That is why my Ministry has set up COMPASS - COMmunity and PArents in Support of Schools, the national advisory council to advise the Ministry on ways and means to promote and strengthen school-home-community collaborations. COMPASS members comprise MPs, professionals, and representatives from the working sector, community leaders, self-help groups and the media.
5.	COMPASS will solicit feedback and ideas from parents and the community. It will then develop a common understanding about what are the different roles of the school, the parents and the community in the upbringing and education of our children.
PARTNERSHIPS
6.	Already, many of our schools have built up strong traditions and alumni. The alumni associations in turn provide the school with all forms of support. In 1998, my Ministry announced that children of former students would be given higher priority for Primary One registration if their parents were also members of the school alumni association. As a result, the number of primary schools with affiliated alumni associations has since increased from 33 to 48.
7.	There are also School Advisory and Management Committees that give members of the community and parents opportunities to be involved in school governance and its activities. Our schools also conduct meaningful Community Involvement Programmes that help students build up a sense of responsibility, belonging and commitment to the community and country through rendering service.
8.	There is great diversity in the way our schools, on their own, involve the parents and the community. Some organise seminars for parents while others conduct computer courses for parents and tie up with companies and industries for student work attachment programmes. What works best in a school might not meet the needs of another school. Therefore my Ministry encourages schools to try out their ideas.
9.	I would like to thank Dr Lily Neo for her suggestion to network with parents and external agencies to help some of our at-risk students. This is what we have been doing and will strive to do more of. Many schools engage the services of part-time professional counsellors, link up with self-help groups, MCD, VWOs, neighbourhood police posts, work with the Police and Central Narcotics Bureau to conduct talks and programmes. As for mentors, not only do our schools tap on older students and teachers in the school, but also ex-students, tertiary students, parents and other working adults.
COMPASS
10.	But there is still more that can be done to strengthen the links between parents, community and schools. COMPASS is actively encouraging parents and community to partner schools to bring up our young. Over the past year, COMPASS members visited schools, received briefings on programmes in schools, and attended a seminar on home-school collaboration conducted by an expert. These activities gave COMPASS the background and understanding of the issue to work out the stakeholders statements and the models of effective home-school collaboration.
11.	The stakeholders statements are student-centred and outline the roles and qualities we expect of each stakeholder in helping the child to learn and grow. At the heart of these statements is the ultimate aim of achieving the Desired Outcomes of Education. The statements should be ready next month.
12.	This year, COMPASS will be formulating various models of effective School-Home-Community Collaborations so that our schools can adopt the good ideas. This should be ready by the end of the year.
13.	With the efforts of COMPASS, there will be more frequent and higher quality interactions among parents, schools and the community. In this way, we can better align our efforts to develop our young into robust, industrious and morally upright citizens.
PARTNERING THE COMMUNITY IN CCA
14.	To further encourage partnerships between schools and the community to develop character and talent in our youths, my Ministry decided to take a wider view of co-curricula activities (CCAs). Previously CCA marks were only awarded for activities offered by schools. Students who made significant contributions through non-school organisations, for example in sports or community service, were not recognised by the award of CCA marks.
15.	From this year, CCA marks are awarded to students in secondary schools for representation in an approved organisation, or for contribution of at least thirty hours of community service beyond the six hours required by the Community Involvement Programme. The scheme has also been extended to junior colleges and centralised institutes. This will encourage our students to widen their social circle and interact with the community beyond the school. We hope to start them young in forging strong links with the community.
COMMUNICATION
16.	Dr Jennifer Lee will be pleased to note that our schools engage not just parents but the community in the two areas of communication and partnerships. I had described our work in partnerships so let me now turn to communication.
17.	Our principals and teachers plan opportunities like meet-the-parents sessions, school newsletters, parent-teacher associations, prize-presentation events to explain changes in the education system, describe how the school programmes develop our children holistically and discuss the progress of each child.
18.	On the part of my Ministry, we ensure that all major changes to the education system and their rationale are announced through the media and on our website. In recent years, we have attempted more creative ways of reaching out like the TV series "When the Bell Rings" which featured the developments in our schools.
19.	We need parents to do their part by attending the school functions, reading the school newsletters and keeping up with the news.
CONCLUSION
20.	I would like to urge the MPs in the house as leaders in the community, to lead your people to support the schools in your constituency. Treat the pupils as your own. Get involved in their lives and engage their parents, and involve them in the life of the community. If we can work hand in hand to jointly assume responsibility for our young, I am confident that we will be able to help our young develop to their full capabilities and contribute positively to society.