In the 1970s and 1980s, regular public service announcements (PSAs) went along: "It's 9pm. Do you know where your children are?" These announcements contributed to a major pendulum shift in parenting (positively and negatively). Having PSAs in the 2020s is required to create the required major shift in education to put the focus on parents' role in learning rather than just making sure their kids attend school. "Do you know what your child is doing at school?" should be the new announcement.
Speaking with lecturers from different universities and extensive reading shows that students are not learning or using resources presented to them. We, teachers and educators, have been so focused on technology, physical resources and making universities "relevant", "comfortable", or "safe" that actual student learning has become tertiary, especially at tertiary institutions. It's time to swing back a little or, better yet, redirect the education pendulum. It is not just a matter of learning, but also social stability and simply getting value for money.
Parents need to be involved with their kids' learning more than just ensuring they attend the right schools. Too many times, lecturers encounter students with learning problems that can be easily addressed at home. Discipline to focus on one's studies or get involved in learning or read given assignments are what parents fail to promote at home. However, as these problems are not addressed, lecturers are forced or resigned to delivering substandard classes to meet the majority of students' aptitudes and abilities.
For example, I gave my students a list of class expectations and asked them to discuss these expectations with their parents (guardians) as the expectations relate to professional life. Yet three weeks later, over 70% did not have that conversation. "My mum is too busy", "I only speak a little with my parents," or "I cannot speak with my parents" are some responses. I cannot have the required level of class discussion when only about 30% of those who attend class can participate. Not preparing or reading before class means that the analytical and thinking discussions cannot occur. Irregular attendance means that building on previous classes becomes confusing for students. How can universities prepare graduates for the workplace when learners' primary connection with the workplace -- the home -- is missing, and the students are lethargic?
I had an undergraduate student fail my course, and his mum came to the faculty to find out. Only then did she find out her son did not attend any classes and used AI to do all the assignments. If they had had conversations at home, it would have saved her a trip and some embarrassment. Regular communication at home would have highlighted that her son was not attending classes and would have likely failed. The boy is only doing the degree programme because his mum wants him to! Parents need to understand what their children are doing at school. Attending classes, missing classes, playing games in classes and so on. Parents may think university students are adults, but many undergraduates are just older, irresponsible kids. As a result, there is a growing number of irresponsible young workers. Hence, Gen Z problems in the workplace may only be the start of much worse social problems in the future.
It is not just at university, in high school, and in primary school, too. Every weekend, I spend one to two hours reviewing what my sons did during the week at school, which is surprisingly little. Parents are spending hundreds of thousands of baht for effectively not much. When we speak with teachers, the teachers are surprised to the extent we know what is going on and respond that they could only do so much with the class. Yet schools in Thailand refuse to let competent students skip grades!
Teachers and administrators at secondary and primary schools appear not to understand the Thai Ministry of Education regulations. I have been asking for several years at different schools and the ministry itself, yet I cannot find out why grade levels are determined by age, not competence. Yet some secondary schools tout their competency-based education programmes. If more parents were involved in their kids' education and demanded more substance for their money, perhaps schools would do more during class hours. Parent-teacher associations are helpful.
Then there is also the physical aspect of learning, which is sorely undervalued. The rough and tough physical education classes of the 1960s and 1970s are no more, but the body-positive approach of the 2020s has become a simple excuse for fat and lazy kids. About 15% of Thai kids are obese, and about 20% of American kids are obese. Not just overweight but obese. Not to mention health status. Unhealthy children have problems learning. Parents must ensure their kids are physically active and not depend on schools' PE classes.
One student once told me, "Sports make me tired, so I do not play sports", and his parents supported his thinking, so he does not even exercise. He had problems in the class because he could not focus when reading or keep up with activities in class. There are many like him in my classes. "Why walk down three flights of stairs when we could wait for the elevator," echoes my activity-avoidant teenage undergraduates.
Parents' crucial role in their kids' education needs to return positively to the forefront of academic instruction. Learning is active. Students' actions must be positively directed by parents who set the standard for their kids by setting the example of productive adults. Schools can and should deliver quality guidance to students, and some are. A threshold of quality teachers, competent students, aware parents and educators is needed for schools to provide quality output. Parents need to be involved by engaging with their children more so their kids can learn more, be more productive members of society, while getting value for their expenditure. Some educators are trying, and would like parents to complement the efforts.
So ask parents for details to the question, "Do you know what your child is doing at school?"
Mariano Miguel Carrera, PhD, is a lecturer at the International College at King Mongkut's University of Technology, North Bangkok.