Parents' representative committee - why?

(Baonghean) - I remember when I was in middle school, every November 20th, the parent representative committee would be busy with knives, pots... cooking dog and chicken meat for the teachers' party. I wondered why it had to be like that?

In recent days, public opinion has been in turmoil demanding the "abolition of the parent representative board" after Mr. Nguyen Hoang Thanh - Principal of Chu Van An Primary School, Cao Lanh City, Dong Thap Province stated: "I said that it was done by parents on a whim, the school did not receive any feedback so it could not comment". Chu Van An Primary School became the center of attention due to the case of "first graders having to pay 16 million VND".

Parents' hardships at the beginning of the school year. Cartoon from the Internet

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Thanh's excuses are nothing more than "kicking the ball of responsibility to the parents". Public opinion asks itself: What is the role of the parent representative board of Chu Van An Primary School here? Is there or is there not the collusion of the parent representative board of Chu Van An Primary School in the overcharging of the school's Board of Directors?

First of all, we need to understand the role of the Parents' Representative Board. The Parents' Representative Board is a group of people elected by the majority of parents in the school to operate independently, acting as a bridge between the school and parents. The wishes of the parents will be forwarded by the representative board to the school's leaders, and the school's regulations and policies will also be reflected to the parents through this representative board.

In short, the parent representative committee not only protects the legitimate rights of students and parents but also helps the school's regulations and policies reach parents better. Therefore, the role of the parent representative committee is very important.

But in reality, this is not the case. Most of the school's parent representative committees (some classes also have a parent representative) are established, not through public elections (except for some kindergartens) but through "choosing the right person", like who they know... the school itself appoints the representative committee.

It can be seen that the formation of the parent representative committee lacked democracy from the very beginning. It feels like the school established the parent representative committee in the same way that the ruling regime established the local government apparatus. Without independence and autonomy, how can it operate objectively and transparently?

In fact, not everyone in the parents' committee agrees with the school. They are just afraid that their children will be persecuted if they openly oppose the "pragmatic" regulations and policies of the school's leaders. So they have to "blindly follow the advice".

Therefore, it is not surprising that the parent representative committee becomes "in name only" to the parents, but becomes an effective tool for the school. What people wonder is if such a committee is just a puppet, should it continue to exist in the educational environment?!

The "overcharging" incident at Chu Van An Primary School, Cao Lanh City, Dong Thap Province, is just a "drop" in the ocean of many irregularities that schools have carried out over many years, with the "support" of the parent representative board.

Public opinion also believes that if adults (parent representatives, teachers, school leaders) lack honesty and exemplary behavior, where can generations of students look to for guidance?

The education sector still has a lot of work to do, and let's start by restoring the meaning and role of the parent representative board or boldly eliminating this tool that serves dirty, non-educational calculations.

I remember the old days - when I was in middle school, every year on November 20th, the uncles, aunts in the parent representative committee would hold knives, pots... to cook dog meat, chicken meat... behind the school board room. Now, every time the parent representative committee and the school meet to discuss business..., I see many of them leave in a drunken stupor...!!!

Obviously, the role and actual activities of the parent-teacher association are not as per the prescribed functions and tasks. And, it is time to discuss the existence and mode of existence of the "parent-teacher association".

Le Thanh Hung