When discussing the question of education, it is important to mention parents’ role as well. Some part of society tends to think that parents should devote some of their leisure time to assisting schools where their children study in for a better quality of education. Another half does not agree with this motion, and considers that volunteering in schools should be optional, and only for those who have desire, money or time. This essay will look at both sides and at the end present a position that would be more persuasive.
Addressing the question “Why should someone be obliged to spend their time volunteering at schools”, one may respond that it is necessary due to several reasons. One of the most compelling is better communication between students and parents which leads to a more qualitative studying. For instance, the Malaysian government introduced a new legislation last year where parents must cooperate with teachers to be more aware about their offsprings’ process of learning by spending at least five hours in a week at school. It was supposed to create an effective dialogue between parents, children and teachers. Indeed, at the beginning of this year, the Malaysian Ministry of Education published yearly reports which showed that children’s performance and grades were improved in those schools where this policy had been implied. It was definitely a positive result.
However, far not everyone either agrees or supports this tendency. The camp of people who does not consider that volunteering at schools should be an obligation, argues that most of the parents, even though if they might have a wish to attend schools and be involved in their child’s growing, often times they simply do not have enough time or strenght to do it after their jobs or do not have money to support some projects initiated at schools. Most Americans pay a huge amount of money for the schools where their children study, considering that this payment should cover all expenses including after-class work with a child. In a survey conducted by a group of freshmen of the sociology department of the University of Illinois this year, it was found that parents whose children study at the private schools categorically counter spending additional time at schools thinking that volunteering should be optional. From their responses, it is clear that anyone is able to dictate how to spend their time.
Overall, if in some corners of the world, the governments take measures to encourage people to actively participate in their children's school life, and make it successfully; other countries experience high rejection of the parents to engage in the process of educating their children due to not sufficient time, money and willingness. For the author it seems more appropriate not to force people to volunteer if they do not want, besides, if they are physically or financially unable to do it. Volunteering itself is optional.