Parents should be made equal partners in the learning process, say principals of schools affiliated with the Indian Board.
The principals expressed the view on their return from a conference with people from the Central Board of Secondary Schools [CBSE], which was held in Kuwait.
The board has been developing new classroom initiatives and orientation programmes for school managers and teachers, but the need of the hour is to make parents aware of these things to make them equal partners, they said.
"The CBSE has taken several new initiatives," said Lakshmi Ramchandran, principal of the Millennium School in Dubai. "But only the teachers are made aware of them. In my opinion, parents and schools are partners in the educational process. It is necessary that parents should also be made aware of it."
Madhav Rao, principal of Our Own English High School in Dubai, said familiarising parents with a subject will mean they are more equipped to help their children study at home.
School principals appear to have a similar view on the matter of parental involvement and both groups were taken aback by the suggestion that primary schools would not have homework and no criteria for passing or failing subjects.
Sita Naidu, a parent whose two children study in a primary school in Dubai, said: "Changes and upgrades to the curriculum are an ongoing process, but then when they [CBSE] talk about no homework or no school bags, it leaves us confused.
"We read about it in the media but no circulars were sent to us about how the board is proposing to do it. I, for one, was glad with the announcement of no homework, but so far nothing has been implemented. I agree that parents should also be given an orientation about the various initiatives taken by the board."
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