Government Prioritization of Parental Engagement Programs: A Case Study of the ‘Parents as Partners’ Programme in Odisha, India

Abstract

A substantial body of research demonstrates that parental engagement positively influences children's educational outcomes. However, considerably less attention has been paid to how governments prioritise and institutionalise parental engagement within public education systems, particularly in marginalised and indigenous contexts. This study examines Odisha's Parents as Partners (PAP) programme, a government-led initiative implemented in tribal residential schools, to understand how parental engagement emerged as a governance priority and the institutional mechanisms through which it was operationalised.  A qualitative case study design was adopted, drawing on seven semi-structured interviews with state, district and school-level stakeholders and one focus group discussion involving four parents. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis in NVivo 12 through iterative coding, cross-case comparison and triangulation with government documents and secondary literature. Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Framework and Kingdon's Multiple Streams Framework guided the interpretation of the findings. The findings demonstrate that the programme represents more than a parental engagement intervention; it reflects a broader shift in educational governance in which parental engagement became institutionalised through political leadership, cross-sectoral coordination and redesigned school-community relationships. While the programme strengthened communication, increased parents' sense of ownership and fostered greater trust between schools and families, persistent structural barriers including poverty, geographic isolation, teacher shortages and institutional capacity constraints continued to limit equitable participation. The study argues that sustainable parental engagement depends not only on parental motivation or school-level practices but also on government prioritisation and institutional support. By conceptualising parental engagement as a governance challenge rather than solely a pedagogical intervention, the paper extends existing parental engagement literature and offers practical lessons for governments seeking to strengthen educational inclusion in marginalised communities.