School Parents Teachers Association Guidelines (PTA)

School - Parents Teachers Association Guidelines

The initial steps after Executive Parents Teachers Association (ECPTA) is formed in the school is very important; make the best use by understanding the present and past status, networking with parents and school management to plan for the academic year effectively and efficiently.

Congratulations and a warm welcome to the clan of parents who chose to make a difference!

After the formation of ECPTA, the annual agenda must be set by the school and parents in consent with each other. Setting goals always bring the results at the end of the academic year and can benefit the school as well as the parents.

Being an ECPTA member brings with it a great deal of responsibility. You will learn that serving as an ECPTA member is a wonderful experience -- an enriching, fulfilling only in some schools in India. In most schools, it is sometimes frustrating, but priceless opportunity to atleast have your say and represent a large number of parents who are either not aware about the rules and regulations or just want to ignore and be tolerant towards it as a general mindset of educated Indians.

Parents Teachers Association is the voice of parents in the school for all the common grievances, it gives an opportunity to parents and management of the school to sit across the table to find amicable solutions to any problems concerning the wellbeing of children and school environment. The empathetic ear given to the parent’s voice will surely develop a partnership of involved and happy parents within the school.

GETTING STARTED - What do I do first?

Gather the materials listed herein. Take one-step at a time. The first step is most often the hardest.

Call your outgoing ECPTA Vice-Chairman and Joint-Secretary or class Representatives if you need guidance, support, or want to know what needs urgent attention, which agenda points were addressed and some which were left unheard and lastly the documents or official communication that could be carried forward to bring the changes.

Talk to the outgoing ECPTA about the PTA's status and seek their recommendations. Take existing documentation required to carry forward agenda which didn’t find a way in the last academic year.

Meet the school principal to find areas of common interest and concern. Learn about the school’s goals and share your objectives for PTA. Establish a good working relationship right from the start by opening a channel of communication. (This is the ideal situation but ground reality may seem different many times)

Determine how planning will be conducted, identify priorities and set goals. Check your bylaws to determine what you need to have in place for the coming year, e.g., Bylaws, Membership, Parent Engagement, etc.

Every state in India has a different Act that governs the schools, therefore read the latest laws and guidelines amended and issued by the state government for the formation of PTA and other regulations such as safety, transport and fee.

Make opportunities available to ECPTA members and parents to attend training and development events, if happening in your area. NexSchools can help you do it, contact us

A PTA unit is “in good standing” if it:

Adheres to the purposes and basic policies of the PTA
Entails agenda and goals within the ambit of the laws and bylaws of national and state PTA
Both School and Parents members work in a cordial relationship for the betterment of the children
Meets other criteria as may be prescribed by the state PTA laws and constitution of India.

Know More About PTA

What is PTA & Why Parents Should Join PTA?

The Structure and Role of PTA

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Sample Letter to draft the Annual ECPTA Agenda as per Maharashtra Educational Institutions (Regulation of Fee) Act 2011

Dated: dd/mm/yy

To,

Principal,

The Chairman

Executive Committee Parents Teachers Association (ECPTA),

School Name,

City

Subject: Agenda, Outcomes & Goals of ECPTA proposed by Parents Members for the Academic Year XXXX-XX (for example 2018-19).

Dear Madam/Sir,

On behalf of all the Executive Committee parents’ members & Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) members (who have opted to be a part of the PTA), we are thankful for convening the election of Executive Committee.

We hope to have a collaborative partnership in the best interest of the school and our children.

To work as a partner with the school, Executive Committee parents’ members & PTA members have compiled together many points that can be taken up in subsequent discussions and meetings with the fruitful outcome. The objective of proposing them at the beginning of the academic year is to get the approvals from the corporate office/CEO/Founder Chairman of the XXXXX School (School Name). This will help in taking the proposed anecdotes towards materialization by the end of the academic year with clear goals. The outcome of each meeting once in three months will also be result oriented instead of taking time in taking orders and permissions from the corporate office XXXXX School (School Name).

Following are the list of Agenda as proposed by ECPTA members and PTA members:

The proceedings of EPTA must be communicated to all the parents’ members through the school portal and should not just be limited to EPTA.
Modify the ECPTA election process to bring more transparency by declaring the name of a parent right in front of the members.
Teachers’ attrition is the major concern for all the parents, therefore take the necessary steps to retain the good teachers till the end of the academic year.
Sports and performing arts activities must be more streamlined to provide specialized training facilities during the school hours with annual outcome based learning and techniques.
The provision of a parking facility for parents in front of the school or elsewhere.
Enlighten the ECPTA about the CBSE board affiliation – up to which level the CBSE board guidelines are followed.

The Executive Committee must comply with the mandates prescribed in Maharashtra Fee Regulation Act, we are listing various concerns towards the fee appreciation below, kindly take timely and lawful action as prescribed in the act.

The fee appreciation is continuously happening for the last 4 years is a great burden on parents. The revised fee shall be bindings for 2 years but school is revising fee every year without PTA-EC approval. Please refer to the act under section 6 sub section (3).

As per under Section 9 sub section 9 (b) factors for determination of fee.
The school has not changed any infrastructure or additional facilities like playground, auditorium, and qualitative development of students in the school. It includes – insufficient sports facilities and playground, parking facility to parents or any additional or specialised lab facility etc.

This has not been displayed in the website or brochure. Providing appropriate details will be helpful in understanding the current fee and proposed fee for 2018-19.

Under Section (5) and (6) sub section (ii) Term fee shall not exceed one-month tuition fee per term.

The school is charging 2.5 to 3 months one-time fee excluding tuition fee towards school study material, stationery, school bag, library fee etc. which does not match the cost charged by the school. The bifurcation for the one-time annual fee is also not provided by the school. This one-time annual fee has also been revised consecutively for the last 4 years. The stationary material is provided for the namesake that gets exhausted within a month’s time. The quality of home worksheet and perforation is tedious and it very difficult for parents and teachers to keep note of the submission particularly for primary section. Request you to provide the bifurcation of the term fee or annual fee towards all the heads to the EPTA.

Under section 4(e), the Executive Committee shall meet at least once in three months

We request to conduct a meeting by August 2018 as the School academic year 2018-19 began on 5 June 2018. (Change the date as per your school)

Section 4(f), the Parents Teachers Association shall have a General Meeting at least once before the 15^th of August.

We request you to please call for the General Body Meeting of PTA members before 15^th August with advance notice. Conduct at least 2 General Body Meetings of the PTA members so that the parents get fair chance to put forward common grievances before the school management.

In light of these concerns, we would like to bring to your attention following points for timely change:

The fee structure for the academic year 2018-19 should be officially announced considering the concerns of parents.

Parents who have enrolled their 2 children in the schools are overburdened by the disproportionate fee hikes every year.

The facilities and infrastructure provided by School Name facilities and playground, parking facility to parents etc.

The revision in fee is continuously increasing for the last 5 years is a great burden on parents

We would like to bring to your attention strongly that in 2016-17 academic years no PTA General Body Meeting was held. The absence of such well-recognized forum by the Maharashtra Government has deprived the parent’s community of School Name to put forth common grievances of school and academics before the Principal and Management. There was no official or non-official communication sent to the PTA members about the ECPTA activity also if held so far. This must be reformed in the 2017-18.

For the past few 3 years, the parent’s community and PTA of the School Name are requesting the school to disclose the fee taking consent of the ECPTA and PTA member at least 6 months prior to the closing of the current academic year. We hope that in the academic year 2017-18 the above concern would be looked at well in advance.

Kindly look into all the points with empathy towards the parent's community and reduce the burden imposed year after year.

Wishing and striving to bring some positive outcome by the end of 2017-18 academic year and looking forward to all the cooperation. We are positive that the Management of School Name and as Chairman of Executive Committee Parents Teachers Association will understand our concerns and take necessary action.

Thank you in advance,
Sincerely,
Executive Committee Parents Teachers Association & Parents Members of PTA
School Name
City