Recently, the topic of "universities also have parent groups" has sparked discussions on social platforms.
It seems that people have the impression that the parent group only exists in primary and secondary schools, and since college students are all adults, the intersection between the parents of college students and the school is probably just to send their children to college or go to graduation ceremonies. But the reality is clearly unexpected, and according to media reports, the trend of some universities building parent groups is now spreading. So, is it necessary for universities to build parent groups, and what should be the boundaries between parents, students, and schools?
Data map: On February 16, students negotiated with recruiters at the spring employment fair for the 2023 graduates of Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology. Photo/Xinhua News Agency
Perhaps this is due to the increasing development of communication technology. At the moment when you can contact a counselor or teacher by picking up a smartphone, some parents may be accustomed to the days of "remote control" of their children through various technological means, and do not realize the fact that their children have grown up.
The bigger reason may be a change in the overall environment of society. Parents of older generations of college students, who are often busy with their livelihoods or have little education, are also concerned about their children's development, but are constrained by the lack of conditions, and simply choose not to interfere too much when they do not know how to communicate or provide more advice.
This is not the case with today's new generation of parents, who are able to provide their children with a better living environment and have more social experience, even university life is not unfamiliar to them. Because of this, they are eager to pass on their life experience to the next generation, and they don't want their children to "take a detour" at the university level. As a result, the parent group becomes a close bond between parents and children, even if the children are far away from the family.
Photo by Xinhuanet Wang Zhichao
On the other hand, universities also have their own considerations for forming parent groups. Whether it's to make it easier to inform the school or to ensure the safety of students, the school wants to "get ahead of the curve" so as not to cause unnecessary trouble. In this way, the popularity of the college parent group is ultimately due to the fact that it meets the needs of both parents and schools.
However, university is a critical stage for students to think independently and deal with various difficult problems independently. Especially for many post-00 college students, they have been cared for since childhood, and they relatively lack the ability and experience to live independently, and entering the university is the best time to hone themselves. If this period is still under the "remote control" of parents, then a valuable opportunity to grow independently may be lost.
After all, universities are not just ivory towers, they are also "small societies", the first port of call for young people to come into contact with the adult world, and an important starting point for them to bravely move into the future. Therefore, letting go is sometimes a better care for children.
Of course, this is not to say that the parent group does not have any value, and it is not that parents should not care about their children's life in college. The key issue is that parents should have a "degree" of involvement in their children's lives. If parents only have basic information about the school through the parent group, there is no problem in fact, and the public does not need to be too sensitive.
In fact, whether there should be a parent group or not, and how the parent group should be run, is not only a matter for parents and universities, but also for students. After all, college students are not "marionettes" of parents, but assertive adults. Even if parents have questions about the school curriculum, academic performance, etc., they should learn to communicate with their children in person first, rather than asking the teacher in the parent group. At the end of the day, both parents and universities themselves should have a more correct understanding of the essence of universities – that they are places where young people can grow up freely, rather than as "fortresses" that protect their children.
Source: "Guangming Daily" WeChat public account
Author: Hu Sheng
Editor: Chen Liting
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