Among the many components of a school’s learning environment, school events stand out as meaningful opportunities for engagement. Yet, their impact on parents is often overlooked.
School events play a vital role in fostering a sense of community and belonging within the school setting.
They serve as opportunities for parents, teachers, and learners to come together, engage in meaningful interactions, and celebrate various aspects of the educational experience. (Motherly Editors,2024).
In Ghana, these events include Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meetings, career days, cultural days, sports festivals, science and technology exhibitions etc. However, the way some of these activities are implemented in basic schools makes it difficult for parents to participate, contribute or benefit. Some schools demand payments from parents as a condition for participation. Others schedule events at inconvenient times or exclude parents from the planning process altogether. Alarmingly, some schools fail to organize any events at all despite their clear value.
This situation can be both exhausting and stressful for parents. Worse still, many schools are falling into what can be called a “ceremonial overload,” where the number of events per term becomes overwhelming and unsustainable for families. As a result, parental engagement suffers. Many parents feel financially burdened and emotionally distraught.
Why is this happening?
In some cases, school authorities may believe these events are essential but too costly to run without external financial support. In other cases, the local environment may discourage parent participation due to poverty, cultural norms, or even distrust between families and schools.
The financial burden
In Ghana, many parents already struggle to meet their children’s basic needs. Feeding a family, covering transport costs, and paying school fees leave little room for extras. Yet, school events often come with financial demands. For instance, during career days or graduation ceremonies, parents are expected to pay for costumes, certificates, transportation, photography, and more. These programs sometimes appear less about celebrating learning and more about fundraising. I once witnessed an event where learners were lined up before their parents, who were asked to give them as much money as they could. Those whose parents gave the most were invited to sit down as the others remained standing. The emotional discomfort this created for learner and parents alike was heartbreaking.
These demands raise important questions: What is reasonable to expect from parents? Those unable to afford the costs may borrow money or neglect other duties simply to avoid being seen as irresponsible. Wasn’t there a time when celebrations were simpler? Gone were the days when there were no graduation ceremonies. We only enjoyed the atmosphere of ‘our day’ without any cost implication. We wore school uniforms, decorated classrooms with scrap paper, and brought food from home. We sang, played games, and waited eagerly for our report cards. There was joy, but no pressure.
Psycho-emotional strain
Events like excursions also pose risks. Though educational, some of these trips have led to tragic accidents. The anxiety parents feel when learners return home late, or worse, not at all, is emotionally draining.
Cultural Pressures
Some parents may already be dealing with mental health challenges like anxiety or depression. When these are combined with the pressure to participate in costly events, the burden can become unbearable. One morning, while in traffic at Kaneshie, Accra, I overheard a group of market women discussing this issue. One shared how her daughter had refused to go to school on her birthday. She felt ashamed she had nothing to share, after regularly seeing her peers celebrate theirs. This is a growing pressure parents now face, to meet expectations fueled by school culture.
Final thoughts
While some school events are valuable, it’s unclear whether many of them meaningfully contribute to learner wellbeing. Without these events, learners can still learn about life, culture, and personality development through family, schoolwork, and play. Parents remain the most critical support system for learner’s growth. Without their consistent moral, emotional, and academic guidance, the efforts of schools may fall short.
This is a call to school authorities to reevaluate the current approach to school events. They can replace high-cost, high-stress activities with inclusive, low-cost alternatives that still foster community engagement and celebrate learning without overwhelming parents.
WRITTEN BY:
Henry Atta Nyame
Institutional Assessment Practitioner
[email protected]
Source: newsghana.com.gh
