WhatsApp groups can be a convenient tool for communication. However, it’s crucial to address the potential challenges and establish clear boundaries to ensure a healthy balance for both teachers and parents.
An X famous figure (Aysha Ridzuan) shared her concern about the usage of WhatsApp as a bridge between parents and teachers. She said, “Is it a government school policy for every class to have a WhatsApp group with the teachers? That kind of access between parents and teachers is not healthy. There should be boundaries. I mean one person dealing with 80 parents (if there are 40 kids in class) cannot be good”.
She further explained in the comment section that the school that her daughter attended accepted both parents into the WhatsApp group. “The SK school my daughter got accepted to added both parents. Of course we can choose later to exit. Yeah started in recent years and I don’t think it’s a good practice”.
Her concern is subsequently validated by other users. “It’s not compulsory as it depends on the schools directive. It’s the same case for some international schools as well. However, as you rightly mentioned, it is indeed unhealthy as the boundaries of communication will exceed consistently”, one user said.
A different user chimed in, questioning whether teachers are paid extra to attend to these parents. They said, “I agree. Do they pay the teacher OT (overtime) for after hours service? Parents don’t even know the limit when it’s appropriate to text or not”.
It is important to note that ‘always-on’ communication can lead to teacher burnout, lack of privacy, increased workload and parents’ unrealistic expectation that they can contact the teacher at any time for any reason.
