Dangerous Schools and the Rise of Parentocracy

Abstract

The study focused on how secondary schools that malfunctioned at the thick of economic crisis evoked parental involvement in Harare, Zimbabwe. Owing to the qualitative nature of the study, a case study research design was found to be more appropriate in order to describe in detail the rise of parentocracy. Face-to-face interviews and a questionnaire were used to gather data. 368 respondents constituted the population from which a sample of 63 participants was drawn. Following a detailed thematic analysis, it emerged from the study that parentocracy increased as schools underperformed. Recommendations were made for the government to address the challenges that are threatening pedagogy in order to lighten the burden on parents.

Review of Journal of Japanese Studies: Exploring Multidisciplinarity January 2022, Volume 1, Number 1 (Inaugural Issue)

“…According to Michael Dunlop Young's Meritocracy theory, every individual should be assessed purely based on merit and competence (Allen, 2011). In addition, Madzanire et al (2012) argued that parentocracy is a social system in which a child's education is strongly influenced by parental financial means and ambitions rather than the student's aptitude and efforts. Meritocracy is minimally considered in Bangladesh, whereas many parents are moving towards a parentocratic educational policy.…”

“…Far from being supplanted by a 'philosophy of parentocracy,' meritocracy remains the primary legitimation standard for allocating life opportunities and the primary reason for the persistence of social disparity in democracies. The meritocratic concept is firmly entrenched in basic education (Waldow, 2016;Madzanire & Mashava, 2012).…”