United We Stand

If you get a chance to witness one mid-day meal at Kalaunjar you would see how older students distribute plates and ensure everyone is in line. It happens almost like clockwork everyday and one is forced to question - who are these children?

The Bal Sansad and Meena Manch are two student bodies to be formed in all government schools across the country, yet in most government schools they only exist on paper. The activation of these bodies has proved to be one of the biggest successes of the school. By being active change leaders, they have played a critical role in the school transformation process.

The School Management Committee (SMC) is a body responsible for the efficient running and management of the school. Activating the SMC in Kalaunjar has helped in bringing more accountability in the staff and the members have been active evangelists of change in the school.

Fair Elections

A fair and transparent electoral process was designed as part of a change project. Interested candidates campaigned for a week before the elections and everyone voted. Very different from the way student bodies were elected earlier, elections made the entire school feel a part of selecting their representatives.

Exposure visits

The members of the Bal Sansad and Meena Manch also visited different schools and even a parliament session in Patna! The learnings from these motivated them to conduct similar activities in their school.

Know your rights

Earlier, most SMC members didn’t know their roles and responsibilities and the power they could yield over the functioning of the school. With more knowledge and better awareness, they conduct regular meetings, perform their duties and keep the teachers and headmaster in check.

Looking back

Initially there was some resistance from students around accepting their peers as leaders but over time they have also found opportunities to take on responsibilities. The headmaster and teachers were also hesitant to work towards creating an active SMC fearing more accountability and less freedom.

"मेरे हिसाब से बल संसद अभी सिर्फ 50% सक्रिय है, अगर 80% भी सक्रिय हो जाता है तो सब प्राइवेट स्कूल्ज को पीछे छोड़ देगा कलॉन्जर मध्य विद्यालय!"

- विनय कुमार, शिक्षक अथ्वा बल संसद इंचार्च

Both the student bodies and the SMC have been critical in driving change in the school. They have not only stood tall and supported different changes but have also stepped up and taken on additional responsibilities and initiated activities for the betterment of the school.