We work with State Education Department catering to 19000 public schools. Closing of schools needed quick decisions on how to engage children. Students were out-of-school and a need to stay connected with parents became necessary. We helped the state design and implement PTMs. Teachers checking up on their students and families, was not just uplifting but also gave a peek into families' challenge
All schools in Punjab conduct Virtual PTMs twice every quarter with the objective to inform, appreciate & listen to parents. Schools organize announcements in villages inviting parents. Teachers speak to parents through phone/video calls & record parent suggestions in an online form. Leaders conduct virtual meetings to support & monitor implementation. Photos & videos fill our WhatsApp groups.
The system has completely accepted this initiative:
1. Parent Participation in PTMs increased from 40% to 70%
2. Stakeholders requested monthly PTMs
3. State planned for student learning through radio & TV from the data collected in PTM
"Because of PTM, teachers are paying attention to students' learning"- Parent
"With PTM being held across the week, I was able to reach the parents of every child of my class"- Teacher
"The Virtual PTM was a new experience. Parents were happy that despite we couldn’t meet face-to-face, we could discuss their child’s education & way forward."- Principal
Acceptance of PTMs leading to a possibility of involving 20 lakh parents in decision-making in school has been an achievement. We see this in:
- Continuous PTMs in all schools
- PTM spread across multiple days to accommodate parents' availability
- State allocating funds for PTMs for the upcoming academic year
We are on the journey to reach our imagined vision of PTMs in all schools.
Our goals for the next 3 years are:
- Making pragmatic incremental shifts in process & implementation towards improving ability & belief of teachers to engage with parents leading to improved involvement of parents child's education & awareness of self in students
- Making the innovation sustain by building upon the successes of each change cycle
- Capturing best practices & learnings to scale the innovation
Starting with identifying need for change & defining vision for improved parent-teacher relations in 19000 schools was the key. Next, breaking down vision into themes that stakeholders can understand eg. improving home environment, teacher capacity, perception of public schools & finally making incremental shifts in multiple processes over time & sustaining them.
Write to us: contact@samarthya.co
