K. Kamaraj, the late Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, introduced the groundbreaking Midday Meal Scheme (இலவச மதிய உணவுத் திட்டம்) during his time in office. The idea was sparked by a conversation with a farmer who explained that he kept his son out of school because he couldn’t afford to feed him otherwise. This program is often credited for contributing to Tamil Nadu’s high literacy rate.
In the past, the Midday Meal Scheme motivated parents to send their children to school, to ensure they received a proper meal. Parents were happy knowing children were occupied, well-fed, and potentially gaining some knowledge. They went on with lives happily with this idea of school
During my school days, parent-teacher meetings were infrequent, usually happening once a year or if I landed in trouble. On several occasions, my friends were summoned to bring their parents. They were pretty good at getting out of those meetings. The teacher would ask a few times, then just forget about it, or maybe get tired of trying.
While I am writing this, I received a notification on parent gateway asking permission to allow my son to fly kite for experimental Tamil learning in the nearby park. I have the following ways to communicate with school and look after his endeavours in school.
Direct communication: The teacher can email or call me or my wife anytime if needed.
Digital platforms: A Parent Gateway app provides instant notifications, school announcements, and even permission slips (like the one I just received for a kite-flying activity for Tamil class!). There’s also a Student Learning System that allows me to track his academic progress.
Traditional methods: A communication handbook outlines school policies, homework, and teachers occasionally send home printed notes with updates or reminders.
Parent-teacher meetings: We have formal meetings with the teacher at the end of each term to discuss my son’s overall development. Often these session becomes complaining session for teachers.
Class communication: Two WhatsApp groups (one for the class and one for his specific section) facilitate quick communication and information sharing between parents.
News articles often highlight the immense stress teachers face today managing parents, and my own experience seems to support this. I receive emails from my son’s form teacher at all hours, including evenings and weekends. Furthermore, there have been instances where the teacher has asked me to discipline my son for minor issues, which makes me question if the teacher feel adequately empowered in school.
There’s a powerful saying in Tamil: “மாதா, பிதா, குரு, தெய்வம்” - Mother, Father, Teacher, God. It establishes a hierarchy of respect and trust, placing the teacher above even God(if you are theist). This makes me wonder if my generation of parents has lost that level of faith in educators. It seems like parents and teachers are both overreacting to every little thing. We’re so quick to jump in and fix every problem, discipline for every minor infraction, that we’re not giving kids the space to develop their own coping mechanisms and problem-solving skills.
It’s ironic: we want independent kids, yet we’re constantly hovering over them, even at school. Maybe the best way to support their education is to actually is to step back.