Parents assume a vital part in a child’s life. It is said that family is the first institution of a child. It is believed that the process of development starts from this first institution which we called family (parents), because at their early ages a child spends most of his time at home and has total interact with his parents. In relationship with parents, child learns his basic teachings of life. This teaching impacts on child physical, mental, emotional and social development. This development remains there effects throughout the child’s school life and beyond. That’s why it is needed that early development of child should be brought in healthy environment.
Before the importance and different aspects of parental involvement, here is a need to define what exactly the parental involvement is? So, the “Parental involvement is defined as …parental participation in the educational processes and experiences of their children.” It incorporates home and school-based parental inclusion. For example: helping in child’s homework and attending parents-teacher meeting.
If we look back into history we will find that engaging parents in their children’s schooling is not a new concept. Before the 1850's, prior to the existence of public education, parents and families were in charge of the education of their children. Before the twentieth century, children were educated mostly by their families or religious bodies. In the nineteenth, and up to the mid - twentieth century in few countries, government initiate to take responsibility for education and schools were establish for this purpose.
It is evident that parental involvement is not a new concept. But the fact is the nature of the concept has change by the time. Maybe in the past the concept was not perceived as important as in today. Nowadays, educators believe that the parental involvement is the significant component that can essentially support children’s learning. The more the level of participation, the better will be child’s academic performance.
In countries where literacy ration is high, they participate more in their child’s education. But in our country as the literacy ratio is low likewise the participation ration by parents is low. The problem does not end here. Apart from the educational qualification, there are other factors which create barriers in parental involvement. Some of them are: Parent’s opinion about parental involvement, Parent’s current life context, parent’s negligence, and most importantly the language barrier. These barriers can be overcome by making effective educational policies, spreading awareness among parents, by offering activities which meets the needs of the parents, by taking feedback, and by hiring knowledgeable and skillful teachers who understands the common problem of the parents.
Parents in their children’s education have to be more involved. As is prove all through this whole document, parental inclusion is crucial for a child’s educational achievement. Parental association takes each of the three partners - parents, teachers, and students - to participate and cooperate. There without a doubt needs to be an association in the middle of family and school. There is a need to be higher level of communication between school and the parents concerning the requirement of each. School should promote and encourage the involvement of parents; at the point when each of the three partners cooperate the children’s have a tendency to be take in more successfully.