Sylvester Anderson, president of the newly-formed National Parent Teachers' Association of Jamaica (NFTAJ), is encouraging parents to get more involved in the daily operation of schools.

He said that while parents have a duty to ensure that their children attend school, they must also play an integral role in what is happening in the schools, through membership and participation in parent-teacher associations (PTA).

"Parents need to take a critical look and have a say on matters such as: 'Is the school adhering to the guidelines stipulated by the Ministry of Education and Youth for the curriculum' or 'How is the school administration operating?' 'Are the teachers performing?'" he reasoned.

Key element

"The parents," he noted, "are really going to be the key element in all of this. We think that if they are actually involved in the PTA, then they should be able to make a valuable contribution."

Mr. Anderson told JIS News that the public has been responding positively to the NFTAJ.

"The response has been overwhelming based on the number of people who did not know that such an organisation existed and those who actually heard of the organisation and thought that this is something that was needed," he stated.

According to Mr. Anderson, the primary focus of the organisation was on increasing the number of participating PTAs, while providing training for parents.

He said that because the association was launched at the end of the last school year, only 130 PTAs were able to attend, but with the island having more than 1,000 schools, "there is a lot to do in terms of getting our numbers up".