Funding relies on parental interest

Parents of school children can be a very apathetic lot.

Most seem to think they only need to pay their taxes and send their children off to school each morning and that's where their responsibility stops.

Apathy seems to be hitting a new high.

This term primary schools all over the Central Coast will be holding meetings of parents to elect this year's Parent and Citizen Association executives.

At some of these meetings, teachers will almost outnumber parents.

Sad when you think that these teachers don't, for the most part, have children attending the school.

At most primary schools, there will be an entire new batch of parents of kindergarten children.

It's sad to think that these parents will never find one night a month to attend their school's P&C meeting. Sadly in some cases not enough parents will attend to form a quoum.

Sadder still, in some cases, no new office bearers will be elected at all.

Parent and Citizen Associations in all public schools have traditionally been prolific fund-raisers.

The demise of any P&C in any school can only be detrimental to the opportunities provided.

How can we expect politicians to properly fund public education when parents display such apathy? Parents need to take an interest in their own children's education and future.

Thank you to all those parents in schools who have attended P&C meetings and have held office in the past and are holding office in schools at the present.

You set an example that I hope others will follow.

Steve Laming, Horsfield Bay