B.C.'s Minister of Education released an open letter to parents on Sunday, urging them to play an active part in their children's education.
In the letter, Margaret MacDiarmid suggests parents get to know their child's teacher, volunteer at their local school and join a parent advisory committee.
"The evidence is consistent and convincing: parent engagement is one of the key factors identified by researchers in high-performing schools," she said.
According to ministry statistics, the six-year provincial secondary school completion rate was 79 per cent in the 2008-09 school year.
"Learning is an active social process," MacDiarmid said. "You are your child's first and most important teacher. Your role in their education remains as important today as it was when they were saying their first words or learning to walk."
An estimated 544,223 full-time public school students will begin class on Tuesday.
