Foundation calls for stronger parent-school partnerships as learner challenges grow

The Family Group Foundation has launched a series of parent engagement forums across Kenya as part of efforts to strengthen collaboration between families, schools, and communities in supporting vulnerable learners under its Tufuzu na Elimu High School Programme.

The forums, which began this June, will bring together more than 600 parents and guardians across 16 counties, targeting the families of over 970 secondary school students currently benefiting from the scholarship programme.

The initiative comes amid growing national concern over student discipline, mental health struggles, and cases of insecurity in schools issues that have increasingly raised questions about the role of parents and communities in shaping learners’ well-being beyond academics.

At a parents’ meeting in Nakuru, Family Group Foundation Executive Director John Waimiri said the forums are intended to rebuild stronger support systems around learners by encouraging more active parental involvement.

“Supporting a child’s education goes beyond paying school fees or providing learning materials,” Waimiri said.

“Young people today face social, emotional and behavioral challenges that require parents, schools and communities to work together. These forums are designed to strengthen that partnership and ensure every learner has the support system they need to succeed.”

The Tufuzu na Elimu programme, which focuses on improving access to secondary education for learners from disadvantaged backgrounds, has increasingly shifted its focus beyond financial support to address social and emotional factors affecting student success.

Education experts have long pointed to parental involvement as a key determinant in academic performance, discipline, and emotional resilience among adolescents.

In Kenya, where schools continue to grapple with cases of unrest and rising mental health challenges, stakeholders say stronger family-school engagement could play a crucial role in early intervention.

Waimiri said parents remain central to the success of scholarship beneficiaries, noting that the Foundation is promoting what it describes as a “co-parenting” model involving schools, families, and the institution itself.

“By bringing parents, schools, and the Foundation together, we are positioning parents as active partners in the educational journey of their children,” he said.

Through the forums, parents will engage in discussions on emotional well-being, peer influence, academic performance, personal development, and positive behavior areas the Foundation says are increasingly shaping the future of learners both inside and outside the classroom.

Help us tell more untold stories of African Philanthropy!