Peter Mpiso Sssenkusu¹, Cornelius Ssempala¹, John Mary Vianney Mitana^2,

The epistemological perspective fashioned on the industrial model created a dualism between universal and particular knowledge, and consequently, a dichotomy between specialized knowledge taught in schools and the local knowledge applied in communities. This dichotomy relegated the parents to the periphery making their knowledge and experiences irrelevant and a source of contempt in the formal school. This paper uses the Goodall and Montgomery model to seek a deeper understanding of the shifting boundaries in the enforced parental involvement in children’s home learning when educational institutions were closed in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID 19 pandemic. The three-point dynamic continuum indicates that parents can participate in school affairs, from acting as teachers’ assistants, to more interaction with the school, and forming partnerships with teachers and administrators. Voices of parents that participated in the home-schooling program organised at the primary level were recorded to understand the shifting boundaries in their school involvement. Results highlight the parents' enthusiasm to adapt and also reimagine the learning of their children. Despite the challenges encountered, the school is significantly transformed into a learning community to benefit of the learners, teachers and the parent’s community.

shifting boundaries, parental involvement, parental engagement, home-schooling, Uganda