Education starts at home. Or it should at least be so. All pedagogues and those involved in educating or protecting children agree that parental education is a crucial issue to make sure children are properly brought up and given the values that will make them become good citizens afterwards. Last Friday, the community centre of Coromandel hosted about 110 parents of the region for a workshop organised by the ministry of Education on parental education. This programme will be extended to other regions to sensitise parents of children who will be admitted in Standard One next year on the needs and rights of their children.

The minister of Education, Dharam Gokhool, rarely misses one opportunity to remind the importance of parents? support in their wards? education. A few days ago, as he attended the launching of the kit on the prevention of violence at school at Rev. Espitalier Noël primary school in Cité Manghalkan Floréal, he once again stressed on the responsibility of parents. ?Education is not only the concern of the school or teachers. It is also of direct interest to parents. The first teachers of our children are parents: their support and guidance is essential for quality education. Changes in child- rearing patterns, in social and economic set-up and in expectations and aspirations mean that parents have to constantly review the needs of their children.?

Moreover, the kit itself makes room for parental education, as it underlines the importance of involving parents in some campaigns against violence. ?Persuading parents and teachers that violent discipline and other violence is harmful? is seen as a way of promoting the safety of children. Parental education is indeed considered as one of the best ways of reducing growing violence at school.

Understand and tackle aggressive behaviours

?Violence is a complex problem and, if it is on the increase at school, it means that it is imported from somewhere else and thus must be on the rise in the whole society,? said the Ombudsperson for Children, Shirin Aumeeruddy-Cziffra, at the launching of the kit. The Ombudsperson has always been in favour of parental education ? and has kept promoting this idea since she was appointed in 2003. Some of the interventions during the workshops organised by the ministry of Education will be aimed at understanding and tackling some aggressive behaviours of children at home.

But parental education is not only about trying to reduce children?s violent behaviour. In fact, it involves a whole series of advice and recommendations to parents. This may also help put some parents in front of their own responsibilities. ?Parental education at the ministry level is centred on two main themes ? the role of parents in education and the general development of the child,? said the head of the psychology department of the ministry of Education, Ajay Thacoor. The number of psychologists at the ministry has been increased to allow them together with the social workers to organise parent sensitisation programmes and thus establish links between home and school.

?The concept of parental education has always existed,? pedagogue Hervé Sylva pointed out. But the growing resignation of parents when faced with their responsibilities may make it even more important today. An increasing number of parents now have to work and they have less and less time to make sure their children receive proper education at school and do not really see if they have the right environment to learn at home. ?Instead of taking the time to follow what their children are doing at school, parents now simply pay for private tuition,? the pedagogue regrets. ?I remember a mother who was a professional and who decided to go on a long period of leave to take care of her children. I think it would a good idea for other parents to know how she did it.?

One of the main issues relating to these parental education programmes for him is to know ?who will be implementing the projects. The ones who will do it need to be trained and motivated ? the training will guarantee professionalism while motivation implies love for what they do and for children?. For him, the ?Ecole des parents? set up by the Bureau of Catholic Education (BEC) in 2000 is a good example of partnership between parents and teachers. ?Teachers were supporting some parents by giving them the basic skills so that these parents could become the hard core that would then train all other parents.?

More than mere pedagogical advice ? ?pedagogy should be left to pedagogues,? according to Hervé Sylva ? parental education involves good eating habits and the importance to create good conditions at home that are conducive to the development of children and the welfare of the whole family.

Parental education ? what for?

According to the pedagogue Hervé Sylva, parents are the first ones to educate their children. Hence, they have a responsibility in doing the proper follow-up on work done at school. ?Parents can help their children make the choice of subjects, make them like what they are being taught at school, motivate them to learn at home. This can be done by simple daily gestures such as making sure children have a quiet place where they can learn in the afternoon for instance.? Parents are also responsible for what their children do during their leisure time at home. Moreover, the ?humane training is one of the main responsibilities of parents who must inculcate their children the right values together with teachers,? said Hervé Sylva.