Bryan Limon: “Take parents seriously and see them as equal partners in education”

The development of children is not solely the responsibility of schools. Parents also play an important role in the learning process and the future prospects of their children. Yet for many educational institutions, it remains a challenge to genuinely involve parents in education.

Limon, who was born and raised in Suriname, has extensive experience in education and management in both Suriname and the Netherlands. He started his career as a history teacher in Suriname and moved to the Netherlands in 1997 to study history.

Between 2000 and 2012, he held various management positions outside education. Since 2013, he has again been active in the education sector, including as an interim director and coach of school leaders.

His interest in parental participation grew around his return to education. In practice, he saw that schools that actively involve parents in the learning process can achieve positive results. According to him, learning outcomes can improve when parents and education professionals jointly take responsibility for the development of pupils.

From informing to working together

For Limon, parental participation goes far beyond informing parents about their children’s school performance, behaviour or attendance. According to him, it requires a different way of thinking and acting, in which parents are genuinely involved in the learning process and the development of the school.

“Take parents seriously and see them as equal partners. The same applies to parents in their relationship with the school,” is the message he wants to convey during the meeting.

According to the education consultant, the child should not solely be the subject parents and teachers discuss with one another. Depending on age and development, the child should also be involved in the conversation.

With this, he emphasises the importance of cooperation in which not only information is exchanged, but there is also room for consultation, mutual understanding and joint action.

According to Limon, a school that successfully organises parental participation is characterised by a structured exchange of information between parents and education professionals. Ultimately, that cooperation must contribute to making optimal use of every pupil’s potential.

Parental participation can promote equality of opportunity

An important premise in Limon’s vision is that parental participation can contribute to equality of opportunity within education. Better cooperation between school and home can create circumstances in which children can develop optimally.

According to him, parental participation is not only important for pupils experiencing problems or needing additional guidance. All children can benefit from good cooperation between parents and schools.

Although parental involvement remains important throughout a child’s entire school career, Limon sees particularly great opportunities in primary education.

“The younger the child, the greater the effect,” he states.

At the same time, he emphasises that pupils in secondary education also need support and guidance from their parents.

According to Limon, education professionals should critically examine their own role when parents participate little in school activities or have hardly any contact with teachers. In his view, it should not automatically be assumed that these parents have no interest in their children’s development.

He believes schools should instead ask themselves what obstacles parents experience. It should also be examined whether parents are sufficiently aware of their role, are given the opportunity to contribute ideas and are genuinely treated as equal partners.

These questions form an important starting point for dialogue during the meeting.

No premature conclusions about Surinamese education

Although the meeting is specifically focused on Surinamese educational practice, Limon does not want to determine in advance where the greatest shortcomings lie.

Together with participants, he wants to examine what is going well, what challenges exist and where opportunities lie to improve cooperation between parents and schools.

According to him, this requires room for different perspectives. Not only school leaders, teachers and parents, but also policymakers and professionals working with children in, among other settings, boarding schools and childcare, are encouraged to participate.

After all, according to Limon, parental participation is not a matter that takes place exclusively between parents and teachers. School management, education policy and support outside the school environment can also influence children’s development.

The meeting will therefore have an interactive character. Participants will exchange experiences, reflect together and consider practical opportunities to strengthen parental participation.

Concrete ways in which schools can involve parents more actively will also be discussed. Limon wants to prevent parental participation from remaining a theoretical concept without practical application.

Personal leadership as a basis for change

Limon hopes that participants will handle their own responsibility more consciously after the meeting in strengthening cooperation between parents and schools.

For school leaders, this may mean critically evaluating their policies. Teachers can improve their communication with parents, while parents are encouraged to participate more actively in discussions about their children’s development and education.

According to the education consultant, change begins with the willingness to recognise and use one’s own influence.

He views the future of parental participation in Suriname positively, provided that all parties involved are willing to take responsibility, show ambition and develop personal leadership.

Meeting on October 20

The interactive meeting ‘Parental participation: how do we involve parents at school?’ will take place on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at Lalla Rookh-gebouw 1, at Lalla Rookhweg 54 in Paramaribo.

The programme runs from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Registration begins at 6.30 p.m. The participation fee is SRD 100. According to Limon, the amount has deliberately been kept low to give as many interested people as possible the opportunity to take part.

With the meeting, he wants to emphasise that investing in parental participation can contribute to better development opportunities for children.

According to him, the challenge does not lie solely with parents or schools separately, but above all in the willingness of both parties to take each other seriously and jointly bear responsibility.

The central question is therefore not only how schools can involve parents more, but also how they can create an environment in which parents feel heard and can genuinely contribute to the development of their children.