Delhi govt to rope in students as advisors in 20 schools

There will be multiple subcommittees within the SABs, such as co-curricular activities, culture and assembly, sports and student discipline. The schools have also been advised to have subcommittees to promote patriotism happiness and entrepreneurship

Students showing strong interest in school activities will be inducted into a Students Advisory Board (SAB) in Delhi’s government schools to improve their leadership and project management skills, the directorate of education has decided. To start with, it will initiate a pilot project in 20 schools.

The SAB will comprise students from classes 7, 8, 9 and 11. Two students from every section of the four grades will be selected as members of the SAB, with each member having an equal voice. (Representative image/HT Archive)

The SABs will act as a voice for the students, the directorate said in a circular on Friday. “SAB will contribute towards developing a sense of ownership in the students by designing, managing and executing various school activities,” it said. The SABs will be in place for one academic year and will assist in promoting student participation in various leadership roles.

There will be multiple subcommittees within the SABs, such as co-curricular activities, culture and assembly, sports and student discipline. The schools have also been advised to have subcommittees to promote patriotism happiness and entrepreneurship. Members of SAB will be assisted by two teacher coordinators nominated by the head of the school.

The SAB will comprise students from classes 7, 8, 9 and 11. Two students from every section of the four grades will be selected as members of the SAB, with each member having an equal voice.

Students will be elected into the SAB through intra-section elections. They will be given 4-7 days to nominate themselves with a short statement of purpose explaining why they should be considered for the SAB. The nominations will be submitted to the teacher coordinator. The directorate has asked class teachers to ensure that at least five students nominate themselves from each section.

There will be certain parameters that will be taken into account to select SAB members, including students who take responsibility, help classmates, participate in group activities, secure attendance above 90%, and finish homework and class work on time.

Election to the SAB will be conducted in the morning assembly or the first period. Voting will be done through a ballot box. Each student will be asked to write down the name of the candidate they have voted for and put it in the box. The votes will be counted and the result declared within two days. Once a SAB is formed, the selected members will vote to select two general secretaries. The general secretaries will be chosen from the highest grade.

The idea was promising, said Awadhesh Kumar Jha, principal of Sarvodaya Co-ed Vidyalaya, Rohini, Sector 8. While he had experimented with the idea of having a student union earlier in his school, the initiative could not be sustained, he said.

“The Student Advisory Board project is taking place through a government-mandated process in a streamlined nature. It will be a democratic process through which students will get the chance to shoulder responsibility at the school level,” Jha said, adding that his school had already appointed teacher coordinators.

Schools need to experiment with new ideas for students to take responsibility, he said. “Students will get to participate in a democratic process while they are still in school. Through the SAB, we are entrusting students with responsibility,” Jha said. “They will exercise a sense of leadership while they are still young. If we trust students, they will be able to prove their mettle.”