School WhatsApp groups can sometimes spiral into platforms for complaints, misunderstandings, and off-topic discussions, turning what should be a helpful tool into a source of frustration, said some parents in the UAE.
While the majority reiterate that the platform proves to be helpful for quick and efficient communication between parents and the school, allowing for updates on school events, assignments, and important notices, on the other hand, they highlighted these groups can sometimes have an overload of irrelevant messages as well.
They pointed out instead of sticking to school-related topics some parents use the group to share personal issues or grievances. These topics often have no relevance to the majority of the members and would be better handled in direct messages.
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Moralising chats
Khaleej Times reached out to a few parents to gauge their experiences.
Karen Carvalho, a parent at a Dubai school said, “Sometimes parents complain. As it is, text-based digital platforms like WhatsApp can lead to misunderstandings due to lack of tone and context. Once I saw some 50+ messages in less than one hour of a parent arguing about how one should read the newsletter and how someone else should stop being condescending. Sometimes, groups can witness parents rallying against what they perceive as unfair treatment, school policies, or decisions. Therefore, in my opinion, while it’s a boon most of the times it can be a bane more than a few times during a school year.”
Beneficial for updates
French expat in Dubai Christine Quartier La Tente, whose daughter goes to Raffles World Academy said WhatsApp groups can be quite beneficial for quick updates and fostering community when used appropriately.
She said, “The school WhatsApp group really helps especially for working parents, because people assist each other, through these groups. Parents are often bombarded with school emails which you may or may not always see. At least with the school WhatsApp group, we have reminders… for… ECAs, presentations and it helps resolve queries about homework, school apps, and many other things.”
Christine added, “People are cautious usually. It helps keep us informed about aspects such as logistics and organizational matters. But when there are profound issues related to schools or teachers then mums do talk about it as well. However, largely, I see mothers maintaining restraint because they may not want their statements to be used against them later by someone.”
Balancing class updates for more than one child a challenge
Bhavya Rao, a mother of two whose daughters attend Dubai British School, emphasised that it becomes particularly challenging when you have more than one child, as she’s constantly balancing class updates and innumerable birthday party messages.
She said, “It’s advantageous most of the time as there are many valuable reminders that may slip a parent’s mind while multi-tasking. But at the beginning of the school year, there are several coffee morning messages that frankly I can do without, which are not directly related to the school. Therefore, the noise of the class WhatsApp group sometimes annoys me particularly whenever I discover the messages are not relevant. But keeping the school group muted is not an option as you also find a lot of useful information out there.”
Parents suggest having multiple groups for different needs like one for official announcements, or one for casual discussion can help streamline communication.
Bhavya emphasized assigning a group admin to moderate discussions and remind parents to keep the conversation relevant can prevent the group from becoming chaotic.
“I recall once there was a trail of unnecessary messages… a conversation on parking during school dismissal that sparked an argument between two mothers with some mums taking sides, and things eventually getting unpleasant on the chats. Several others like me remained silent. So, conversations at times go on a tangent. However, managing the groups also to an extent depends on the admins, who I think, should play a critical role in respectfully keeping the conversations under control and tempers at bay,” she added.
Communicating appropriately
Meanwhile, headteachers in Dubai noted that schools have a KHDA-approved parent-school contract, which gives clear guidelines on how to communicate appropriately with schools.
Simon Herbert, Head of School/CEO, GEMS International School – Al Khail, said, “We have our Parent Relations Executive included in many WhatsApp groups. However, teachers are not included, as our means of communicating with the school are face-to-face, email, and certain educational apps such as Managebac. WhatsApp has its uses, but our hope is that parents come directly to school with their questions or queries when these involve their children, rather than seeking affirmation and patterns via social media.”
He added, “Our school culture is built on ‘Respect, Trust, and Ambition’. We therefore encourage all members of our community, including parents, to follow the first of these two very important cultural values when it comes to communication.”
Principals also explained sometimes schools create temporary WhatsApp groups with parents when a school team is travelling for inter-school events as prompt updates on logistics are necessary for coordination. However, the groups are dissolved after the event.
Sangita Chima, Amity School Dubai Principal said, “In our school, teachers are not included in the parent WhatsApp groups. Sometimes, these groups lead to information overload and informal communication that reduces professionalism. Ideally, only polite, specific communication should happen in these groups.”