Activists to protest election in primary school

BHUBANESWAR: Activists and youth organisations are preparing to protest the decision of the State to conduct election among the students in the Government and Government aided 7,193 upper primary schools in the State. The activists alleged that the election would vitiate the educational atmosphere of the schools.

Organisations like Youth For Change and Sikhya Surakhya Abhiyan are preparing a memorandum addressing the Chief Minister to stop election process in the school. If the Government does not stop politics in the school campus, they would start movement across the State, said the members of the organisation.

The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) guidelines stated that each school should have a student parliament comprising a Prime Minister and six Cabinet Ministers to look after the departments of food, sports, education, health, culture and sanitation. Students would elect their representatives by voting through secret ballot boxes.

The School and Mass Education Minister Rabi Narayan Nanda said that the election would create leadership quality among children from childhood. “If any problem occurs in the school, the students’ representatives can bring all the matters to headmaster’s notice. There is no ill-intention at all,” he said. 

According to National Coalition for Education (NCE) State advocacy coordinator Naba Kishore Pujari, the decision of the State Government is welcomed if it helps the students to develop leadership quality within them. Improving of leadership quality among the students is a part of education, so there is no problem to allow student election in the school, but that should not be politicised, Pujari said, adding, “The intention of introducing election process in the school should be clear.

But the parents don’t want any extra burden on their children. The election process would take away their friendship and closeness by implanting prejudice among them, said the parents. Students would fight with each other for small reason and their attention would be diverted towards election, they added.

According to MLA Pratap Sarangi, the election would destroy unity among the students. It would create rivalry instead of mutual understanding, friendship, love and affection among the students, he added. He termed the circular, which has already been circulated among the headmasters to give their opinion before January 26, as draconian. “What is happening in the colleges now-a-days during election everyone knows and implementation of another problematic decision in the schools would vitiate the school environment.”

Activist Rutupurna Mohanty said the School and Mass Education Department should look into the matter seriously and stop the election which would create problem in the school. “The department has asked the headmasters seeking opinions on the decision, but I’m in doubt the HMs may not give opinion neutrally fearing their higher authorities,” she said.

According to headmaster-in-charge Kanhu Charan Mohanty, Jujhugada Project UP School, Daruthenga in the outskirts of the city, said that it was practiced before the circular comes. “In every school there is a Mina Committee to choose one Prime Minister and six others as cabinet ministers, but new thing is to introduce secret ballot box,” he said.