Activating Parent Teacher Councils in UAE government schools

Producing youth who will be ready to effectively participate in and contribute to a more democratic society cannot be left entirely to school officials and teachers; it also relies on the support, involvement, and partnership of parents in ensuring their children’s effective education.

“Children’s first teachers are their parents”.  With these words, trainer Gari Voss launched the first workshop in Abu Dhabi March 2, as part of a two-phase pilot project in six UAE public schools to establish Parent Teacher Councils (PTCs). Reflections on the meaning behind this phrase led to emphasis on examining the important role of parents in supporting their children’s learning experience.  “Planting the seed starts at home”, one parent said. “Parents set values and behavioral patterns in their children’s first five years” said a school counselor.  The interactive session challenged participants to illustrate ideas on how parents can actively support and improve their children’s education, at home and at school.

With support from the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Local Grants Program, Mosaica Education launched the first phase of PTC training for 58 parents and staff from six public schools in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.  The first phase examines what is involved in setting up a Parent-Teacher Council, such as its role, responsibilities, meeting schedules, action plans, and required documentation.  The second phase will include convening first-ever PTC meetings to examine each of the six schools’ needs; developing a complete project proposal targeting a key need of each school; and formulating an implementation plan.  Each project proposal will be shared with the other participant schools.

According to Mosaica, these six, pilot PTCs will hopefully serve as models for other UAE schools to follow, demonstrating the impact PTCs can have and providing guidelines for how they can operate.