Deputies proposed involving parents in the management of schools: they should oppose “arbitrariness”

A bill on new rights for maternity committees has been introduced to the State Duma

Parents in schools are silent. Although, according to some State Duma deputies, they should be heard very much, parents must speak out “against the arbitrariness of the director” and protect teachers from unfair dismissal. The authors of the bill on the “return of maternity committees” argue that parents have the right to “steer” educational institutions, but do not have the opportunity to exercise this right.

The new bill asks moms and dads to decide on the approval of the school menu, requirements for the appearance of students, the list of clubs and sections, and much more.

There has been talk for several years that it would not hurt to revive the institution of parental participation and control in schools. The chairman of the Duma Committee on Family, Women and Children, Nina Ostanina, called for parents to return to school; the head of the parent association, Irina Volynets, advised giving parents new competencies at school. There were proposals in parliament such as that parent committees should be given the right to veto decisions of school administration, as if maternity committees were an analogue of the Federation Council at the very least…

And here is a new parliamentary initiative, which has already been submitted to the State Duma. The idea of ​​empowering parents in schools is undergoing public discussion and feedback. As MK learned, to ensure a wide response, technologies are used to cover the audience so comprehensively that reviews are collected even in chat rooms of holiday villages.

The initiators of the revival of school maternity committees from the ashes argue that such formations are mentioned in the charters, but they are deprived of power. And, apart from collecting funds “for gifts” and teaching aids, they do nothing else.

“In this regard, school management actually ignores the opinion of parents on many important issues,” explains Anna Skroznikova, one of the authors of the bill, a member of the Duma Committee on Education.

“I see that the authors of the project refer to the clause in Article 44 of the Federal Law “On Education,” says lawyer Stanislav Popov. – I don’t really understand why this reference is to the article that parents have the right to be informed, that is, to have information about the charter, license, certification of an educational institution, etc. If we talk about the powers of maternity committees, we should interpret Article 26 – “On the management of an educational organization.” It directly says about the right of parents to influence the adoption of local regulations at school, the opportunity to create councils or other bodies. The law gives parents the opportunity to create their own public organization within the school or join an organization such as the school council, if one has already been created. I also see that it is proposed to legislate the concept of “parent meeting”, and decisions should be made by voting: 50% plus one vote. In fact, according to our Constitution, everyone has the right to unite and vote for decisions in order to protect their interests.

The Ministry of Education and the close expert community believe that maternity committees can control many things, but not the director’s personnel policy, of course. But you can officially interact with government officials. Also, according to education expert Alena Vasileva, parents can influence decisions related to school safety. Intervene in financial and economic activities, resolve conflicts, help the juvenile police (juvenile police) in crime prevention. And together with teachers, organize various “extracurricular activities” and events, catch up those lagging behind, purchase teaching aids and other items related to the educational process. The school canteen is also mentioned there, but only in the part of “expressing opinions” and not defining the menu.

“I have objections from below, so to speak,” says Lidia Leonidova, head teacher of a Moscow school and elementary school teacher. – Extracurricular activities are a broad concept, “talks about important things” and career guidance, regional hours… Additional education – clubs, sections – requires very complex documentation and approvals. Nowadays, it is especially difficult for additional education to maintain price-quality parity and get established, so the appearance of a new club or section at school does not depend at all on parents’ or even teachers’ “wants.” Or government procurement is already a hot topic, everything goes through tenders, it’s long, complicated and tedious. I’m not sure that people who don’t understand this at all can be of any use here. As in food control in the school cafeteria, where we have the best that schools can afford. But year after year, parents appear demanding restaurant menus for their children…

Teachers emphasize that parents’ self-organization is now weaker than ever, and it is difficult to get active participation from them. The overwhelming majority of adults work; they don’t even have time to do homework with their children. Typically, maternity committees are headed by unemployed mothers or active grandparents. And not always, to put it mildly, their energy is directed in a rational direction.

But schools recognize the obvious benefits of parental participation in organizing events, competitions, shows and festivals, with which teachers are simply inundated. Delegating at least some of the powers and reporting on them to well-coordinated parent communities will be very helpful.

Published in the newspaper “Moskovsky Komsomolets” No. 29133 dated October 11, 2023

Newspaper headline:
Will parents get their license?