Building Social Protection for Empowering Families Through Parental Engagement in Primary School Education
Document Type
Article
Department
Institute for Educational Development, East Africa
Abstract
This study examined how parental engagement serves as a conduit forbuilding social protection for empowering families within primary schoolsystems in low-income East African communities. While family schoolpartnerships are increasingly recognized in education policy, empiricalinsights into their contribution to household resilience remain limited.Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory and Epstein’sframework of school–family–community partnerships, this study wasgrounded in a pragmatic philosophical stance and employed a longitudinalmixed-methods design. Secondary repository data were drawn from theStrengthening Education Systems in East Africa (SESEA) and Foundationsfor Learning (F4L) projects implemented by Aga Khan University inTanzania, Kenya, and Uganda. Quantitative datasets, including schoolsurveys, teacher practicum records, and engagement reports, were analyzedusing descriptive statistics, while qualitative data from evaluation reportsand policy briefs underwent thematic content analysis. Quantitative findingsrevealed that 82.7% of the schools had developed parental engagementaction plans, yet only 28.7% formally included parents in school governance.Schools adopting multimodal engagement strategies combining digitaland in-person participation recorded up to a 45% increase in attendance,while those offering parent incentives, such as meals or transport, achieveda 17% increase in participation and 21% in volunteerism. Moreover,61% of teacher college-linked schools reported enhanced parent-teachercommunication following digital pilot programs, although 33% of ruralschools still face digital exclusion. Thematically, the findings highlightthat community leadership, inclusive governance, and culturally responsiveengagement enhanced both children’s learning and family agency inaddressing barriers such as gender bias and time-poverty. The studyconcludes that embedding parental leadership into school improvementand social protection frameworks can strengthen household resilience andequity. Thus, parental engagement emerges as a transformative pathwayfor inclusive, community-driven educational development in East Africa.
AKU Student
no
Publication (Name of Journal)
European Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences
DOI
10.24018/ejsocial.2025.5.6.18639
Recommended Citation
Wango, N.,
Kibga, E.,
Mwingi, M.,
Rarieya, J.,
Abunga, O.,
Andema, S.
(2025). Building Social Protection for Empowering Families Through Parental Engagement in Primary School Education. European Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 5(6), 1-13.
Available at:
https://ecommons.aku.edu/eastafrica_ied/254
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