At the end of the development process, after Phase 4, we found that more parents sent their
children to these seven schools – their enrolment increased by 12% per year. And 78% of
the parents of these students were satisfied with the quality of the schools. If empowerment
was extended to the parents, enabling them to form networks and giving them greater
participation in the organisation of the learning–teaching process, this would promote
cooperation with the community in school development. This outcome is in accordance
with Zimmerman’s (2000) idea that empowerment occurs when there is an emphasis on
providing opportunities for stakeholders to participate in and cooperate with improving the
quality of life of those in the community.