PARENTS THINK that the education system is not doing enough to prepare students for the world of work or to provide them with life skills, according to a new survey.
The report, by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), shows high levels of satisfaction with teachers and schools.
It also indicates strong parental approval for transition year but it highlights the need to forge stronger links between schools and parents. One parent in four surveyed said teachers were not approachable while one in six complained that schools were not anxious to engage with parents.
The survey indicates that parents would favour a recasting of the curriculum with less emphasis on academic disciplines and a greater focus on life skills. There is also strong support for more focus on computer and other practical skills.
The report cites the views of one representative parent: “The only thing is the curriculum itself, I think, is very narrow and academic and, I think, it doesn’t really prepare them for actually leaving school and going into the real world.
“I think there should be far more practical elements to some of the subjects, because at the end of the day, that’s what they’re going to have to do. If they go into a career, they’ll have to put things into practice so I would prefer a far more practical application of some of the subjects.”
Parents would also like more information on subject choices for the Leaving Cert exams. Even though virtually all schools now host subject-choice meetings, 25 per cent of parents said they wanted more information on this.
Students reported how their parents were a very significant source of help and advice regarding choices, programmes, subjects, subject levels and plans for the future. Broadly, students were more reliant on their parents than on their school for advice.
The research paper, called Parental Involvement in Post-Primary Education, is by Dr Delma Byrne and Dr Emer Smyth of the ESRI.
It was presented this weekend at a conference in Dublin where the National Parents Council Post-primary celebrated its 25th anniversary.
The ESRI paper is based on various case studies, interviews with 51 parents and a postal survey of fifth- and sixth-year students.
Regarding transition year, parents said that it helped to make their children more mature and confident. One parent said: “I think they find it difficult to get back into the study mode in fifth year but I do think that they mature – boys, in particular – and they’re better able to handle the Leaving Cert.”
More than a quarter of parents reported that their child had difficulty settling into their first year in secondary school and that this continued for at least one month.
The survey is considered important because the voice of parents is rarely heard in Irish education. National parent councils at both primary and post-primary are a designated education partner, but the influence of parent groups on policy is not always clear.