"At this year's New Year’s party for our class, each parent contributed more than 300 yuan. It was held at a high-end club. I saw on Weibo that the primary school that got exposed only charged 240 yuan? That's far worse than ours. For any collective activity organized by the class, if you don't participate, the child won't be happy. No matter how expensive it is, you have to attend." From Christmas to the New Year, reporters heard from multiple parents about the "grandeur" of school parties, which aligns with what was reported about Peking University Affiliated Primary School. The organizers of these activities are basically "Parent Committees," an organization that previously did not attract much attention but has now entered the public eye.
What exactly is the Parent Committee? Last year, China issued the "National Medium and Long-Term Education Reform and Development Plan Outline," which explicitly required "the establishment of parent committees in primary and secondary schools, guiding the community and relevant professionals to participate in school management and supervision, jointly promoting the construction of modern primary and secondary school systems." The reporter interviewed multiple members of different school parent committees and found that the "responsibilities" of the Parent Committee were much more complicated than those stipulated in the "Outline." Elections and divisions of labor were extremely arbitrary, and the reasons for parents joining the Parent Committee were varied. The Parent Committee seemed to become a kind of gray area where parents mingled, some feeling free, some conflicted, and some helpless...
The Parent Committee becomes a social circle; all financial transactions rely on self-discipline. For some parents, the significance of the Parent Committee is quite subtle. Lin Lin's father has been involved in the Parent Committee since his child's kindergarten days. He deeply understands and told the reporter that the Parent Committee is a small society, and the parent group is a social circle. Being part of it has many benefits, "It's not just about building relationships with teachers; parents can also develop many connections among themselves."
If there are several parents like Lin Lin's father in a class's Parent Committee, things can get lively, "Our class has over ten Parent Committee members who know each other well and often hold meetings. Actually, these meetings are just dinner gatherings to strengthen bonds." In this Parent Committee, parents come from various industries—banking, judicial departments, lawyers, teachers, civil servants, etc., "When something comes up, helping each other out is very natural. The Parent Committee is a great platform for networking."
Lin Lin's father told the reporter that sometimes the Parent Committee could even be a "business venue," "For example, this year's New Year's party for our class was arranged by a Parent Committee member who said it was a place run by an acquaintance, but the price was really not cheap—over 300 yuan per family, totaling more than 10,000 yuan. However, places are hard to rent during this period, so no one complained much." He hinted to the reporter that such practices might be pulling business for friends, making parents and children the "suckers."
An important task of the Parent Committee is to assist teachers in organizing class activities, which require purchasing various items, including tickets and transportation fees. Sometimes, handling amounts exceeding 10,000 yuan makes this a relatively sensitive issue for the Parent Committee because there is no supervision, and teachers do not involve themselves in collecting money. "Every time I feel particularly nervous about collecting money, fearing I won't be able to explain clearly. We collect a certain amount of class funds each semester, deducting for each activity. At the end of the semester, I make a detailed list and send it to all the parents, explaining what each fund was used for and how much was spent, giving the parents an account." Ms. Chen has been the President of the Parent Committee for three years and still feels like walking on thin ice, "Organizing a group of children to go out and play involves many trivial matters. We usually find a travel agency to handle everything, negotiating fiercely to try to keep costs as low as possible, then printing out the detailed itinerary and charges for each parent. Even so, some parents still think it's too expensive, accusing us of having ulterior motives." Ms. Chen feels aggrieved, putting in effort but being misunderstood. The crux of the problem is that the Parent Committee's finances currently rely entirely on self-discipline. Responsible Parent Committees provide printed financial statements, while less responsible ones simply collect money without even providing an explanation.
Being a "shill" is a proper job; few suggestions receive responses.
"In the first grade, I joined the Parent Committee with great enthusiasm, wanting to truly do something for the class, offer some constructive suggestions, and cooperate with the school's educational work." After more than a year in the Parent Committee, Mr. Liu said he felt somewhat "disheartened" due to repeated setbacks.
Last semester, Mr. Liu's child's class suddenly experienced a group "food allergy," according to the school's statement. The actual situation was that after eating fried fish for lunch, nearly half of the children had stomachaches, and many took sick leave the next day. "We were concerned about the quality of the lunch—not the fish, but possibly the oil. This concerns the health of the children, so we hoped the school would thoroughly investigate this matter and ensure it wouldn't happen again." Mr. Liu planned to write a letter to the principal under the name of the Parent Committee, offering some food hygiene suggestions and soliciting signatures from other parents. "We opened a QQ group for parents, and I mentioned this matter in the group, but many parents weren't very proactive. They had concerns, didn't want to make a fuss, and feared it would have a bad impact on their children. In the end, only four or five parents signed."
After sending the letter to the principal, they received a reply half a month later stating that the investigation results indicated it was an isolated incident, and the hospital had confirmed the children's illness was autumn diarrhea. "This matter ended up unresolved. Some parents who were initially observing were glad they hadn't stepped forward. Their suggestion had no effect and instead proved detrimental." Afterwards, when Mr. Liu called for parents to contribute ideas on education and health issues for their children in the QQ group, there were few responses, especially regarding issues that touched upon the interests of teachers or other student parents. "Children live in the school every day, so parents naturally have concerns when offering suggestions. Even if we have objections to some of the school's management methods, we will reflect them carefully to avoid negatively affecting our children. Issues that disrupt harmony and offend others are basically no longer involved." One parent explained this way.
Suggestions blocked, no response, and speaking at school meetings is something some Parent Committee members willingly do—essentially being shills. "At the end of the term, the school held a parent seminar, asking each grade to send a few Parent Committee representatives to speak. I had prepared seriously, intending to offer some suggestions, but seeing other parents, most of whom were singing praises, I realized this atmosphere wasn't suitable for criticism, so I just spoke briefly." Mr. Liu decided to quit the Parent Committee as he didn't want to be a shill.
Freshman parents show the highest enthusiasm and willingly serve as volunteers, available at any time.
"The teacher announced at the beginning of the semester that all parents in our class are members of the Parent Committee and should actively contribute to the class." DouDou's mother is a parent of a first-grade freshman. After serving as a Parent Committee member for half a year, she finally realized: "It's essentially volunteering for the school!" DouDou's mother noted that freshmen parents have a characteristic—they want to be proactive, fearing that if they're not active enough, the teacher might have a negative opinion. "The teacher often praises in class, saying a certain parent did something for the class, asking us all to thank him. My daughter came home and urged me, 'You should also do something for the class so the teacher will praise me.'" Thus, DouDou's mother took on the responsibility of printing various materials and test papers for the class. "Fortunately, no one in my office cares, so I often print hundreds of sheets at once. Once, I had already gone home when the teacher called and asked me to print something, so I had to pay out of my own pocket to print it at a print shop. But for my child to be praised in class, spending a little money and effort is worth it."
According to the consensus among parents, serving the class is the main responsibility of the Parent Committee. "The Parent Committee is usually voluntarily registered, and the teacher, of course, hopes for as many participants as possible. Most parents in the class sign up, and no one wants to fall behind in this matter because it's an opportunity to build a good relationship with the teacher, which won't harm the child, but what specifically needs to be done isn't very clear." The scope of services provided by the Parent Committee is extensive. Ms. Zhang told the reporter that she once took half a day off to paint walls at the school. "Three of us Parent Committee members, who usually appear more enthusiastic, were asked by the teacher to help. When we arrived, we learned that we were painting the classroom walls. I've never done such work at my own home, but we managed to paint the entire classroom white after a few hours of effort. My clothes were ruined."
During large-scale school events, it's the time for the Parent Committee to shine, "During the school sports meet, someone made banners, someone bought cheering tools, someone purchased uniforms for the parents, and someone wrote promotional articles. Everyone was very proactive, arriving at the stadium before 6 in the morning to organize things. Each class's parents were competing." In such events, the enthusiasm of the Parent Committee largely determines the honor of the class. If the parents perform poorly, the children will also feel embarrassed. "Serving the class is also doing something for the children. Within my capability, I will do my best, after all, the head teacher alone can't handle everything." A parent said sincerely.
However, the enthusiasm of the Parent Committee usually decreases as the child's grade increases. A parent of a sixth-grader told the reporter that their class's Parent Committee went from flourishing to declining and is now virtually defunct, "In our spare time, parents are taking their children to various cram schools, where would we have time to do things for the class? All class collective activities have been canceled, and everyone is preparing for the entrance exam to junior high school."
Supervising the school lacks confidence.
Regarding the Parent Committee, an organization widely present in kindergartens and primary and secondary schools in this city, during interviews, the reporter found that no one could give an accurate definition, including election methods, organizational methods, and work responsibilities, leaving people completely confused, and even unclear about whose voice the parents represent.
The "National Medium- and Long-Term Education Reform and Development Plan Outline" requires that the Parent Committee "guide the community and relevant professionals to participate in school management and supervision, jointly promoting the construction of modern primary and secondary school systems." This seems to define the Parent Committee, but the actual situation is quite different. Many parents reported that some Parent Committees are "lifetime positions," remaining fixed members from the start until graduation, without ever holding elections. Over time, the relationship between parent representatives and schools and teachers becomes increasingly familiar and默契 (amicable). Many parent representatives become "trusted assistants" of the school and teachers, becoming the "spokespersons" in other parents' eyes who praise the school. The distance between parents and the "Parent Committee" gradually widens, completely losing its role of two-way communication and democratic supervision, turning the so-called "supervision and management" into empty words.
And for certain schools, they do not welcome the "supervision and management" by parents, and may even reject it. A parent told the reporter that their school principal once publicly said at a parent meeting, knowing that parents have influence, but they shouldn't "gang up and cause trouble," but rather try to cooperate with the teacher's teaching work, otherwise it would be detrimental to everyone, "What does this mean? Probably it means we shouldn't offer opinions." If so, how can supervision be carried out?
Through research, the reporter learned that similar Parent Committees exist abroad. It was introduced that the United States has the "National Parent Teacher Association," with over 5 million members. After more than 100 years of development, it has become a nationwide volunteer group that comprehensively protects students' interests. Its mission, besides representing parents exercising the right to participate in education and participating in school management, also plays a role in family mediation, parent education, health guidance, school safety, and educational funding.
"In some countries, the Parent and Teacher Committee has the authority to hire and dismiss principals and recruit teachers, enabling equal exchanges between schools, teachers, and parents." Beijing Institute of Technology professor and education expert Yang Dongping affirmed the role of foreign Parent Committees, but believed that this is difficult to achieve in China at present, "Under the context of exam-oriented education, it's hard for parents to supervise schools. The current situation of unequal distribution of educational resources is eroding the courage of parents to participate in the democratic management of schools."
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