Such phrases as "partners in education" and "the primary educators" are bandied about regularly but, in reality, they have little substance.
The truth is that the majority of parents in this country are not partners in education and have little, if any, involvement in the education of their children. Traditionally the education of our children at second level was handed over to the various religious congregations and parents were not welcome. That tradition is so deeply implanted, it proving hard to break.
Fewer than10 per cent of parents show any interest in their child's school. Fewer than 1 per cent become involved in an active way within that school. Fewer than 0.125 per cent are involved at national level.
The majority of parents do not know what their children are learning in school and how their views and opinions are being shaped by what they are taught. The majority of parents have little or no awareness of the content of the newer programmes and curriculum introduced over the last number of years. The majority of parents are happy to delegate the responsibility for their children's education to people they don't know and have never met.
It would be easy to focus the blame on parents, but it is not their fault. They have been told they are the primary educators and partners in education, but have never been told exactly what they are supposed to do, how they are supposed to execute this responsibility. It's as though they have been invited to the dinner table, but no place has been set.
A member of the Department of Education recently said that he did not see the voluntary aspect of parental involvement changing. This leaves parents regularly giving up time from work and other commitments to represent parents' interests on national committees. They sit on these committees alongside paid professionals who are supported by full-time staff. How can our voluntary contribution ever equal their professional one?
In the teachers' pay talks the partners involved are the Department of Education, teachers and management bodies. Parents, the primary educators and taxpayers, are told that it is not really their business.
The complaints procedures for the use of parents within schools have been agreed by management bodies and teacher unions without any input from parents.
Entry to a particular school is dependent not on parental choice, but on the decision, in most cases, of the principal. If a problem arises within a school, parents do not have the right to move their child; instead they must continue to send them to that school no matter what the risk.
Managers are appointed in the place of boards of management without any consultation with or explanation to parents.
The parents' submission to the points commission, which was based on primary research, was not included in the commission's final summation.
Our involvement is very much dependent on the grant received from the Department of Education and Science as we have no other source of income. The size of this grant limits our involvement. Ask yourself what national organisation could possibly expect to represent over 700 schools with £92,000? If you know the answer, then so too does the Government.
The actions required to make parents the primary educators of their children would take real commitment and, to date, that commitment has not been manifested. Token payment allows token involvement. It allows them to say that parents have been consulted without ever asking exactly what parents and how many.
There is a very old saying that goes "actions speak louder then words" and this saying is true when you go looking for "parent power" in education. Our Constitution says parents are the primary educators of their children. These words were given statutory recognition in the Education Act of 1998, but to date, no actions have been taken to vindicate those words.
The Department of Education and teacher unions do not encourage these words to become a reality. The existing school authorities have had the run of the schools for so long that change is proving very difficult. They constantly set parameters within which parents are expected to stay.
We are frequently told that we are not educationalists and could not possibly understand curriculum or management issues. We are invited to be involved in a consultative manner, but seldom in a formative manner.
Real parent power would involve vindicating the rights guaranteed to us by the Constitution and the Education Act 1998. Real parent power would mean having the support of the majority of parents in individual schools across the State. Real parent power would mean the direction our children's education takes would be under our guidance.
