A time to pledge
K. N. MURALI SANKAR
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Being part of the school cabinet would mean imbibing leadership qualities.
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Promising leaders: At an investiture ceremony
It is that time of the year when school campuses begin to tap the leadership potential of the young ones and place greater responsibilities on their shoulders. No sooner schools reopen for a new academic year and the din subsides than principals and class teachers initiate the process of forming a cabinet for the school. Students elect their representatives for the school cabinet if it is in higher classes, whereas teachers will have a major say if it is in lower classes.
Swearing in ceremony of this cabinet, popularly known as the investiture ceremony, becomes the first major function on the campus and it is celebrated on a grand scale with a chief guest conferring the honour on each member of the school cabinet.
The method of electing cabinet members varies from one school to another. Some schools follow the direct election method to elect class leaders and School Pupil Leaders (SPLs) by allowing high school students to cast their vote on ballot papers, while election is indirect in other schools with class leaders electing the SPLs. “It helps students know several issues. They will come to know about the process of election in a democratic set up and the dos and don’ts of a leader,” says Biji Philip, principal of Nirmala High School, which conducts a ballot to elect the SPLs.
Besides two SPLs – one each for boys and girls – secretaries to different clubs (also known as houses) like cultural, literary, language and social are also elected by the students. These clubs take care of respective activities throughout the year by encouraging students to participate in an activity of their choice.
For discipline
“The objective of investiture ceremony is to imbibe leadership qualities among students, because school is the right platform to identify leaders from among children,” says Bro. Pratap Reddy, principal of N. St. Mathews (NSM) Public School. Leadership qualities help students maintain not only discipline in the school but also enable them to prove themselves different from others in the future.
The elected leaders are sworn in at the investiture ceremony, where they take oath and participate in a parade. Colourful dances and cultural programmes by students form part of the ceremony. Prizes are given to the best performers at the end of the function.
“It is a responsibility that gives us an opportunity to learn more,” says Chitwan Kaur Sahni, SPL (girls) of the NSM Public School. This Std. X student, who aspires to take research as her career, says it is the responsibility of the SPL to ensure neatness and discipline among students and keep the school premises always clean. “I’m sure this experience will help me a lot. One day I will become the leader of a research team and I will have to guide my colleagues. As I’m learning the nitty-gritty of teamwork now, it will become easier for me to render justice to my career,” she explains.
Not only the missionary schools but corporate schools too have, of late, begun to encourage the formation of school cabinets and are holding investiture ceremonies. Schools like Nalanda Vidya Niketan and Akshara Public School have been organising the ceremony every year.
“We award badges to all leaders during the ceremony. Though they can take certain decisions independently, guidance will also be provided to them by teachers,” says G. Gayatri, principal of Nalanda Vidya Niketan.
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