Poverty is widespread in South Africa, presenting a significant challenge for both students and their parents. Parents from minority and low-income backgrounds often feel marginalized and believe they have nothing to contribute to their children's education, as they are perceived as less interested in schooling due to their financial circumstances. Research by Decker et al. (2007) highlights the impact of poverty on parental involvement in education, with parents from disadvantaged backgrounds being less likely to participate in school-related activities compared to their middle-class counterparts.
Van Velsor and Orozco (2007) further argue that low-income parents face various barriers to involvement in their children's education, including demographic and psychological factors that may be influenced by educators' attitudes and school climate. Some educators may hold negative perceptions of low-income parents, leading to unfair treatment and a lack of recognition for their efforts. This can create a cycle of disengagement between schools and low-income families, with schools in impoverished areas often failing to prioritize parental involvement.
The financial constraints faced by low-income parents also impact their ability to support school functions and dedicate time to their children's education, as they prioritize meeting basic needs over school-related expenses. It is crucial for schools to recognize the unique challenges faced by low-income families and provide support that addresses their specific needs in order to promote greater parental involvement. When families' basic needs are met, their engagement with education is likely to increase, ultimately benefiting both the students and the school community as a whole.
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Poverty is rife in South Africa and can be a challenging aspect not only for the learners but for their parents as well. As a result parents from minority and poor socio-economic backgrounds feel that they have nothing to contribute, since they are labelled as being less interested in their children’s schooling due to their circumstances (Decker et al., 2007). Parental involvement in education can have many advantages but parents living in poverty are less likely to be involved in school related activities than parents who come from a more middle class family (Van Velsor & Orozco, 2007). If there is no money to cover their daily expenses, then parents won’t have the funds to support certain school functions because they simply cannot afford to. Work commitments often prevent low-income parents from making time for their children’s schooling.
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Van Velsor and Orozco (2007) also believe that low- income parents encounter both demographic and psychological barriers to parental involvement that can be associated with educator’s attitudes and school climate. Educators may influence the involvement of low-income parents in several ways. Some educators do not value the opinions of these parents and make negative judgements about low-income parents’ lack of involvement (Konzal, 2001; Ramirez, 1999). These negative attitudes by educators towards low-income families may lead to sub- standard treatment of parents as compared to parents who are in a higher income bracket (Hill & Taylor, 2004). These authors also reiterate that schools in poor socio-economic communities are less likely to encourage parental school involvement than those in more affluent communities. It is important for the school to know the community they serve because the needs of low-income families are totally different to higher income families. Lower-income parents often struggle to provide their families with all the basic necessities that support a comfortable lifestyle. It is assumed that when low-income families’ basic needs are met then their involvement at school also increases (Van Velsor & Orozco, 20
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