Lesson 1: Partnerships and Participation

What is partnership?
The term ‘partnership’ connotes part-ownership or shared responsibility. A
partnership in marriage, or within the family, would be the husband and wife; in sports,
the coach and players; in education the teacher and learner, the teacher and the Ministry
of Education; or the teacher and various representatives of the community. Each school
is sited in a neighborhood, district, town or community’. The purpose of the school, in
essence, is to prepare the children to participate in the social, economic and cultural
activities of the community it serves. A partnership has been defined as a “relationship
characterized by roles, responsibilities, rights, obligations, and accountabilities. The
relationship may be based on law, shared ethical standards, rules and/or conventions…”
Why Partnership?
Education is a long-term investment; its rewards are only reaped later in life. The
primary investor is the Government, but the ultimate beneficiaries are the individuals and
their families, the private sector, the community and society at large. It would be
advantageous for the beneficiaries to share in the investment, by becoming a partner in
educating the child. Additionally, many schools with multi-grade classes tend to have
inadequate resources and personnel. Partnerships, therefore, provide an avenue
through which resources can be strengthened, and the community can participate in the
education of the child, and the life of the school.
Partners and Partnership
The “business of education has two major actors: the State and Civil Society”.
Partnership with the civil society refers to general community participation, private sector
involvement and parental cooperation. Community participation, in this sense, refers to
the involvement of various groups and individuals in the life and activities of the school.
This is a two-way relationship. Members of the community can be resource persons.
They can raise funds, and assist in the planning of the future of the school. In many
places the community shares in the ownership of the school, particularly the physical
premises. This is especially so in communities where religious organizations have
started schools.
Advantages of Community Participation
The community, which includes the parents of the students, is a valuable source
of support. Representatives of the school should participate in the social and economic
activities of the community. Cooperation and partnership with the community can be
mutually beneficial to the community and the school. Some of the benefits are:
1. Parents and other members of the community may serve
as teacher aides, or resource persons with various skills.
2. The school can also count on the help of the community in
such activities as celebrations, fundraising and the building
and maintenance of the school.
3. The learning environment will be enhanced by support
from the community. For instance, if the school has a close
 relationship with parents and other community members, this can help to improve
discipline, and there will be closer communication to assist the child in overcoming
the challenges of schoolwork.
4. The school would become a central point for activities in the community. For
example, it may be used for adult literacy classes, or as a community meeting place.
In addition, the children may play an active part in village activities, such as the
cleaning of roads, and beautification of the surroundings.
5. The transfer of skills such as weaving, dyeing, embroidery, carving, playing
traditional instruments, traditional dance, storytelling, etc.

Lesson 2: Building Partnerships

Building a partnership is a long term process. There must be trust,
and an underlying rapport, prior to building a partnership. As in any
form of cooperation, a partnership between the school and any
area of the community, does not come automatically. It has to be
developed, nurtured and fostered. To develop a two-way
relationship, it is not only important for the community to become
involved in the school, but the school has to be responsive to the
needs of the community. For example, the school program has to
be flexible enough for adjustments to be made when students have to help out at harvest-time,
or take on household responsibilities, community members share responsibilities when it is
convenient.
Below are some ideas for creating an environment for forming partnerships between the
community and the school:
1. An open-day at the school at least once a term, for the pupils to show and discuss their
work with the parents.
2. Regular communication between the School/Community members or Village Education
Committee and the parents, through meetings, newsletters, and home visits.
3. Special workdays when teacher and students go into the community, and help with
harvesting, and other community-based activities.
4. Fun-days involving students, teacher, school/community members or members of the
Village Education Committee, parents, and other community members.
5. Building a strong Parents/Teachers’ Association (PTA), which can give a better structure
to the partnership between the school and the community. For example, the PTA can:
a. Help the teachers to make teaching aids;
b. Encourage children to work with their teachers leading to improved achievement;
c. Help teachers to organize field days for the children;
d. Help to raise resources for the children.
Ways to Help
Parents and other community members should be fully integrated in the running
of the school. They can supplement the resources of the school in many ways. Among
the areas in which partnerships can be developed are:
1. Student supervision while the teacher is teaching another group;
 2. Coordinate small group work with students, in subject areas where they are
strong, e.g. agriculture, to help students understand the subject matter, and
complete assignments;
3. Homework supervision;
4. Facilitate practical activities, such as gardening, sports and dancing;
5. Assist training in handicrafts, agriculture and home crafts, or in the purchase,
or making, of resources, as in the case;
6. Teach the children about the community’s culture and customs;
7. Facilitate student’ summer work programs.
Parents and other community members can also play a vital role in the
educational process by:

● Helping to develop and support the school curriculum to make it more

relevant to community needs;
● Hiring a private teacher, if the need arises;

● Identifying teacher aides in the community; Providing information about

the background of the pupils;
● Monitoring the behavior and progress of pupils and the school;

● Organizing special projects (such as building and expansion) and

fundraising activities;
● Helping to resolve disputes.

Lesson 3: Government and Peer Support

Government support is essential for giving multi-grade classes, greater recognition, and
for the multi-grade teaching approach to be given its due status, equal to that of the normal
schools. Government support will do much to prevent small schools from being marginalized.
One major way in which the government can provide support is to set up a special unit in
the National Ministry of Education, which will assume responsibility for single-teacher schools
and/or multi-grade classes. This Unit should develop strong inter-relationships with those
government agencies, which have responsibility for infra-structural development, e.g. roads,
electricity and running water. National education policy and planning should also reflect the
government’s attitude to, and planning for, such issues as:

● Improving basic infra-structural arrangements/ facilities, such as roads, telephone

services, electricity, water supply and transportation, with particular reference to these
schools;
● Compulsory attendance and penalties for noncompliance;

● Physical and human resource provisions for the mentally and physically challenged
students;
 ● Gender equity;

● Upgrading and supporting teachers through the use of Information Communication

Technology (ICT), and extension programs from post-secondary institutions.

Lesson 4: Concerns of Teachers

The concerns of teachers arise from the difficulties they experience in a variety of areas.
These difficulties may be psychological, professional, social or physical. They may derive from
the teacher, community, school/learning environment or the national authority. These difficulties
were outlined in Unit Three and include the following:
1. Resentment of teachers at being placed in distant schools, because of the long
distances from roads, transport, shops, clinics, post offices, police stations;
2. Children are often less healthy than their counterparts in the big schools;
3. Lack of communication with educational support systems and authorities;
4. Absence of adequate teaching facilities and support materials;
5. Loneliness of the teacher, which can even become critical in an unsympathetic setting,
or if the teacher comes from a different community/background;
6. Negative attitude towards multi-grade teaching by authorities, as well as the general
public;
7. Lack of a government policy on multi-grade classes;
8. Small schools are often located in socio-economically disadvantaged areas;
9. Inadequate out-of-school experiences for the pupils, e.g. sport, traditional dancing and
music, and visits to places of interest, which can be used by the teacher as starting
points for learning.

It is difficult for multi-grade teachers to enjoy regular communication with support

systems and educational authorities, because of their remote location. In some countries,
educational authorities visit small schools only once or twice a year, and only for short
periods of time. In many cases the terrain is so difficult that officials may only visit them once
annually. Thus, small school teachers seldom have the opportunity to discuss problems with
educational specialists. They often feel left out, alone, and discouraged.
Public transportation frequently does not service those areas because of very poor road
conditions; there is no electricity or telephone service, and no running water. The
infrastructure is very poor and unsatisfactory.
Many teachers are not trained to cope with the additional responsibilities, and
obligations, which accompany multigrade teaching in small schools; and they may not have
access to any professional development programs, which tend to be held in the towns and
cities.