'Parent Circle' to be launched to monitor children's education, health: Boby Hajjaj

The government has taken an initiative to launch a 'Parent Circle' to monitor children's education and health, aiming to improve the quality of education and increase parental engagement with schools, said State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Boby Hajjaj.

He made the remarks at an exchange meeting with representatives of various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on community engagement in primary education at the Directorate of Primary Education on Thursday, August 13.

The state minister said primary education is not solely the responsibility of schools and teachers. A child's educational foundation requires the combined role of family, school and community. For this reason, the Parent Circle initiative has been taken to involve parents more closely with schools. Through this, parents will have the opportunity for regular communication and exchange of views with schools regarding their children's studies, attendance, behaviour, health and overall development.

He said the government has also launched a 'Friend Register' initiative to connect schools more closely with the community. Those interested in supporting primary education development at the local level will be brought under an organised platform and involved in various school activities. This will create a collaborative social environment centred around schools.

Boby Hajjaj said good teachers alone are not enough to ensure quality education for a child. What is needed is a supportive family, an aware community and responsible school management. The government aims to create effective connections between these three layers in primary education.

The meeting was attended by officials from the Directorate of Primary Education, representatives from various NGOs and development organisations. The NGO representatives expressed interest in working in coordination with the government's ongoing initiatives for primary education development and made various recommendations based on their field-level experiences.