|
Bangladeshi
community struggles with parental participation in New York
City schools
By Lovlu Ansar, Weekly
Thikana
Every school has a Parent Teachers Association,
but only a few Bangladeshis are involved with these associations.
Numerous studies have proven it is essential for every parent
to be involved with the PTA, in order to help their children
succeed in school. Involvement with the PTA protects the
interest of the children and paves the way for the fulfillment
of the American Dream.
The PTA may also a stepping stone for those
interested in community activism and entering America's
political arena.
Despite these benefits, Bangladeshi parents
hesitate to participate in the PTA. A survey of public schools
in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Georgia, California, and
Michigan indicates that Bangladeshi parents are not involved
in the school. Data also show that Bangladeshi students
do not graduate with honors. Some parents say they do not
have the time to participate in the PTA, while others say
not speaking English well keeps them away.
As well, several factors contributed to the
failure of past efforts to organize Bangladeshi parents
into their own school groups.
"Many parents want to make higher education
available to their children – some who are born here
– instead of building up their own fortune as new immigrants.
Every parent thinks that educating the children is their
main responsibility," said Murshed Alam, former treasurer
of Queens School Board 29, "but it will not be an exaggeration
to say that the parents are showing continuous reluctance
in fulfilling the desired goal."
Alam, now commissioner of the New York City
Voter Assistance Commission, once belonged to the PTA at
Public School 131, where his children attended, and experienced
the benefits of being an active participant. In turn, he
used his connections to help bring President Bill Clinton
to visit the school. "And as result, the school administration
had affection for my children," Alam said, "and
the importance of not [only] the school, but of the entire
vicinity increased. Had I not been involved with the PTA,
I would not know about the School Board. During the period
of my work with the Board, I saw that the political careers
of several of people who now hold important positions in
different fields got their start in the PTA and the School
Board."
According to the Census Bureau, more Bangladeshis
live in New York than in any other state, where Bangladeshis
are making their mark and their children are performing
well in school.
But Bangladeshi students and their community
can do better, some activists and professionals believe,
if parents become involved with the schools. If the parents
maintain good relations with school administrations, some
say, it would reflect favorably on the community. The PTA
also offers contact with other immigrant communities that
have children in the school, thus promoting and strengthening
community relations.
Yet, several efforts to gain the Bangladeshi
parents' participation have failed.
In 2003, a group in Astoria, Queens formed
the Bangladesh Parents Association. Bangladeshi parents
in Brooklyn were inspired to organize as well, seeing the
Astoria organization's activities under the direction of
Abul Kalam Azad. But both organizations did not make it
past one year.
"We were full of enthusiasm when we organized,"
said Rezaul Karim Sagir, a father of two who served as director
of the Bangladesh Parents Association in Brooklyn, "but
after several months, we all lost patience. The association
required a lot of time and it became impossible."
Sagir, who is now an employee at the New York
Insurance Company and whose children are already in college,
added, "Besides, we were also thinking that problem
with the [English] language was one of our greatest barriers.
No one talks about an interpreter at the PTA meetings."
According to Sagir, plans were discussed to
have Bengali offered as a second language at FDR [Franklin
D. Roosevelt] High School in Brooklyn, because there were
so many Bangladeshi students there; however, some parents
argued that the language barrier kept them from attending
the school PTA meetings, which were conducted in English.
Meanwhile, other highly educated parents, who were fluent
in English, said they were too busy with their careers to
attend.
"Another factor that contributed to the
demise of the Bangladeshi parents' groups was that some
people just wanted the titles of president or secretary
of the association, but not the work," commented Abul
Kalam, of Astoria. "They quickly lost interest in the
organization. I had been trying to bring community people
to the PTA and talked to many people personally," said
Abul Kalam Azad, a bilingual teacher at Long Island City
High School, "but no one wants to be involved, honestly."
Azad admonished: "Every parent should
know about the education system of this country, and if
you are involved with PTA, you will know what your children
are doing in school, whether they are continuing their study
correctly, whether their behavior is appropriate. Many students
are dropping out of school before their high school graduation.
This is a matter of great pain for a growing community."
Wasiur Rahman, a guidance counselor at John
Bowne High School in Queens, said cultural habit is another
reason for the lack of participation among Bangladeshi Americans
in the PTA or other school programs.
"One should not forget that people are
the slaves of habit," Rahman said. "Even in Bangladesh,
99 percent of parents don't inquire about their children
in school. Those parents are now in America."
At John Bowne, however, the parents of Bangladeshi
students often make phone calls to inquire about their children,
partly because the school has Rahman, a Bengali speaker,
who they can call on without any hesitation.
Education experts state that parents must
remain alert about the education process and their children's
school, if they believe that education is a sure path for
their children to fulfill their American Dream. Parents
need to make time for this. Parents in the community need
to come together in organizations such as Bangladesh Parents
Association, and work to inform the entire community about
the school system.
This article was written as part of an education reporting
fellowship granted by New York Community Media Alliance.
|
