June 29, 2023: The Academy School (TAS), Pune, conducted elections for the student council members on their campus as a part of their applied learning programme. The voting process happened through e-forms where more than 300 students participated to cast their votes.
As many as 12 designations were up for election– Head Boy, Head Girl, Assistant Head Boy, Assistant Head Girl, House Captain, and Assistant House Captain. All the candidates belonged to Classes IX and X whereas students from Class IV to Class X were eligible to vote.
Candidates put up slogans and banners to seek votes from their fellow students and gave speeches on why they are the ideal candidates for their respective designations. Placards of ‘I scream, you scream, vote for our candidate to fulfill your dream’ and ‘East or West, our candidate is the best; North or South, we will help you out’.
During the interaction, students also raised several demands such as ‘ensuring swimming be added as a sport’ or questions such as ‘last year’s promises were not fulfilled’.
“Even though we learn Civics in class, it is best shown and practiced. That communicates better than anything. The activity is to be aware of your responsibility and accountability and what happens when you elect the wrong candidate. It is an exercise to choose the right person that can lead you,” said Dr Maithili Tambe, CEO, TAS, who spearheaded the initiative.
Ojal Wagh, a Class X student who was canvassing for the Head Girl position, said it was a fun learning exercise and got to learn a lot. “Convincing students was really difficult because you have got to make them feel confident in the person that they vote for and that we know about their likes or dislikes. And finally, not only also pays attention to their issues but also acts on them,” she said.
