My name is Salah F arah and I am a Board of Trustee at the school of my children, New Windsor Primary, Auckland. Boards of Trustees are Crown entities and are responsible for the governance of schools.

The role of the BOT is defined in· the sect·ion 75 of the Education Act 1989. My role as a member of the BOT is to make sure that the school runs in the best interests of students and community.

It is also to make sure that all the students in the school receive a high quality standard of education. What motivated me to stand for the election of the BOT this year for the first time was to be part of my children’s education journey as I believe that this is the only way that I can ensure that my children are receiving a high quality standard of education.

 I also wanted to contribute to my local community and to bring to the discussions a different perspective – my community perspective. I believe BOTs have a very important role to play in ensuring that schools are meeting the needs of all students/communities in our education system. For that to happen the BOTs need to be inclusive of wide and diverse views because our communities are very diverse these days and this diversity will grow more in the years to come.

The benefit of being a member of the BOT is that you are part of the school’s decision making to ensure the school follows the National Education Guideline set by the Ministry of Education. I am recommending and encouraging that parents and community members take part in their children’s education journey.

This requires engaging with your children’s school actively. Parents can help schools in many ways. Ask your children’s school how you can help the school. Remember the BOT are made up parents, teacher’s representative and the school Principal.