BRIDGING SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES: A QUALITATIVE EXPLORATION OF COMMUNITY AWARENESS, OUTREACH, AND PARTICIPATION IN PUNJAB EDUCATION FOUNDATION SCHOOLS

Abstract

Community engagement is a key component to increase educational access, parental involvement and school effectiveness, especially for disadvantaged communities. This study took a qualitative descriptive research design that was informed by a paradigm of interpretation and sought to explore the experiences and perceptions of parents and community members in relation to school–community engagement. Focus Group Discussion was carried out amongst community members using purposive random sampling technique. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data by coding, developing themes and interpreting the patterns that were identified. The results indicated that community members were in general, aware of the PEF-supported schools, primarily linking them with free education and textbooks. Awareness was raised mainly by informal means like relatives, friends, principals of schools and signboards as compared to structured awareness campaigns. The outreach work was restricted and mostly at school level and communication on educational benefits was largely informal. Parents reported that they were well informed about the school, and had good relationships with school leaders, however, their participation was primarily limited to Parent Teacher Meetings and annual events and there was limited awareness of formal participation structures including school councils. The study suggests that PEF and partner schools conduct structured community awareness campaigns, extend outreach efforts by engaging with families through community meetings and home visits, adopt formal channels for communication, and engage parents in school planning and decision making. Frequent opportunities for mothers, female guardians and community leaders to engage with schools should also be provided to support sustainable school–community partnerships.