Minister of Education and Youth, Fayval Williams, is calling for greater collaboration and coordination among parents, caregivers and schools on key issues relevant to the achievement of a child’s education and best interest.

She made the call during the official launch of activities to observe National Parent Month at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St Andrew, on November 1. National Parent Month is being observed in November.

Minister Williams said home-school partnerships are widely encouraged for the positive impact they have on students’ motivation, engagement, behaviour, academic and social outcomes.

“We are always hopeful that more and more of our parents dedicate time towards their children’s education by volunteering, attending school functions and reiterating lessons into everyday life,” she added.

The Minister pointed out, as well, that schools also have a responsibility to include parents in key decision-making processes.

“The PTA (Parent-Teacher Association) is the avenue through which parents can bring their issues to schools and get them resolved. We want more and more of our schools to have that kind of relationship with our parents,” she said.

Williams noted that National Parent Month focuses on the hallmarks of good parenting and what can be done to reduce the dysfunction and poor parenting skills that are displayed in society.

“It is an attempt to recognise parents who help to build the right relationships with the children by affirming their worth and paying attention to all aspects of their lives, including the school-home relationship,” she said.

National Parent Month is being observed under the theme ‘Reignite the Village’, with activities organised by the National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC).

Williams said this year’s theme places emphasis on the fact that while parenting is an individual responsibility, there is also a collective part that can be, and should be played in raising children.

“We hope that parents and caregivers will know their village and acknowledge the strength of their village,” the Minister added.

She said the Ministry, through the NPSC, seeks to engender ownership and involvement in the village by all Jamaican parents.

“We envision that with the clear participation of all parents in the village, we will be able to encourage a new way of tackling social and relationship challenges,” the Minister argued.

Williams pointed out that data from the Child Protection and Family Services Agency indicate that there is an issue with parenting in the country.

“We know that not all parents are ineffective or bad parents, but there is a component of our society on which we need to really focus to give them the skills, so I am happy for these month-long activities that we will have, with a particular focus on parents, so that they will get those skills needed and we will begin to see improvements,” she said.

Williams argued that achievements can be attained by the community of parents and caregivers coming together to foster shared responsibility for children; standing up for children when they are in difficult situations, such as intervening when a child is being publicly abused by parents; looking out for children’s safety on the roads and in the community; and providing for them the help that they ask for and the help that they need.

Meanwhile, chief executive officer of the NPSC, Kaysia Kerr, emphasised that parents should take intentional steps towards being more effective in parenting.

“We are deeply concerned about the apathetic behaviour that surrounds parenting at this time. We have to do some more probing to find out if that’s a result of COVID or is it a wider problem. That is why we want to get the village involved to be reignited. Parents have to see this as the single most important responsibility and get up and access parenting sessions because they work,” she said.

The National Parenting Support Commission is mandated by the Government to provide coordination in support of parents.

Meanwhile, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Country Representative, Vicente Teran, said providing positive parenting support is prioritised by his organisation, as research indicates that when parents benefit from community-based support and quality services, it can lead to better outcomes for children.

He said the partnership with the NPSC for the launch of ParentText is a critical area in this regard.

ParentText is a mobile messaging service that provides another layer of support to Jamaican parents in becoming more effective in raising children.

Persons can access the service by texting the word ‘PARENT’ to 876-838-4897 on WhatsApp.