Keekli Reporter, 22nd July, 2019, Shimla
You win some, you lose some – but in the end the result is what really matters! On a very positive note the Auckland School Management invited the parents to participate in the School’s first ever Annual General Meeting. For Girls School it was scheduled at 11.00 am, while for Boys School it was scheduled at 12.30 p.m. The agenda was to form the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) – a non-political, advisory body created for better coordination and interaction between Parents, Teachers and the Management as well as to improve the academic standards and facilities in the school.
In Girls School, Director-Principal Sunita John, warmly greeted the parents and the observers Dr. P. K. Salaria, Principal, and Dr. B. S. Chauhan, Associate Professor, Department of Physics, both from Rajiv Gandhi Degree College, Shimla, who were present to oversee the proceeding. She initiated the process by explaining that the Parent-Teacher Body would be formed by democratically electing one parent from each Class – Nursery to Twelfth, which would further be strengethed by five selected teachers and headed by the Principal as the Chairperson.
What resulted was a fair selection process as parents stepped up to select one candidate among themselves and seconded these proposals, while in case of two or three standings, voting was done to choose the best representative. All this was done under the able-guidance and supervision of the observers who also helped in a tie breaker.
The final results were as follows – Sunita John, Chairperson; Sunil Tuli, President; Wahi, Vice President; Shikha Sood, Secretary; Dr. Priti Nagal, Joint Secretary; Anshul Saklani, Treasurer; Madhurika Verma, Advisor; Members — Suman Chauhan, Vidya Devi Nanda, Rama Devi, Goldy Dean, Meera Dogra, Raj Kumar, Meera Singh Verma, Kavita Bhardwaj, Swati Dutta, Basant Pal Thakur, Sumesh Thakur, Shipra Sood, Namrata, Sonu Sood, Monika Tanta.
A similar excersie was conducted in the Auckland Boys School. Led by Principal Micheal A John under the able-guidance of the independent observers Dr Salaria and Dr Chauhan, elections were held on the same lines as done in the girls’ wing.
Parents from classes Nursery to Twelve were democratically elected as one representative from each class was selected hereunder – Shikha Sharma from Nursery; Gagan Lakhanpal from LKG; Anu Bala Zinta from UKG; Parvesh Kumar Sharma from First Form; Anjana Janartha from Second Form; Sugandha Sood from Third Form; Dr Arti Sareen from Fourth Form; Prakash Singh Rawat from Fifth Form; Vijendra Mehra from Sixth Form; Mehboob Ali Khan from Seventh Form; Dr Priti R Nagal from Eight Form; Deepak Sood from Ninth Form; Rajesh Mandhotra from Tenth Form; M R Sareen from Eleventh Form; Deepika Dhiman from Twelvth Form. Two special nominations were Avtar Singh and Rajneesh Kainth. Meenakshi Thakur; Parul Sood; Alka Sharma; and Rashmi Pathak represented the teacher’s body, along with Dr Mala who would officiate as the Secretary.
An Executive Committee was constituted thereafter in which Principal Boys School, Micheal A John, was elected as Chairman, Rajesh Mandhotra as President, Dr Preeti R Nagal as Vice President; Dr Mala Kuthiala as Secretary; Gagan Lakhanpal as Joint Secretary; Anjana Janartha as Treasurer; Sugandha Sood as Advisor.
Though a mix reaction was seen amidst the parents, but mostly spoke positively about this landmark decision to form the PTA. Speaking anonymously one parent said, “I think it is a great opportunity to discuss issues related to children and school. It is a promising venture as we hope that now we can put our problems and views in front of the management, which at times was difficult.” Another view was that, “Before this, parents had a tough time discussing pertinent issues with the management, but with this huge step of forming the PTA and parent’s direct involvement, we now have a voice. We just want the management to hear our issues with an open mind and take decisions that will be in the interest of our children’s education and growth.”
We hope this is a win-win situation for all, as ultimately this is being done for the betterment of our children.
