At a school in Park Circus, students contested an election to understand how democracy works.
Over the past week, they campaigned much like real candidates. Their manifestos addressed issues that affect their daily lives — bullying, phone use, inclusion and mental health.
Before voting began at Mahadevi Birla World Academy, the principal briefed them on elections and the importance of responsible voting.
“We told them to vote responsibly because the representatives they choose will be leaders for the rest of the academic session. We also explained how this differs from state elections, where leaders are elected for five years,” said principal Anjana Saha.
If the students have much to learn, the grown-ups in the electoral arena might have lessons to take away as well.
The student campaigns were notably free of misrepresentation, defamation, violence or disrespect toward rivals. “Here, there is no influencing or bribing. We want to nurture a climate of respect,” a teacher said.
Through the exercise, students are learning to communicate, make decisions and build networks. They are also beginning to understand that winning an election is not merely about power or authority, but about fulfilling promises and keeping commitments.
Bengal will vote on April 23 and 29. The young electorate at Mahadevi Birla World Academy on Thursday chose its president, deputy president and four house captains.
Campaign meetings were held across classrooms, playgrounds and school assemblies.
Manifestos were displayed on boards or distributed during lunch breaks.
“This is an opportunity for students to use the state elections as a backdrop to conduct their own contest, to campaign and prepare a manifesto. At the same time, they must be careful not to use defamatory language,” said principal Saha.
The school rulebook stated that any attempt to bribe, such as offering treats in the canteen, or to retaliate with violence will lead to disqualification of candidature.
“The campaigning has to be ethical and non-violent. Ethics is important, and our students must learn that the entire process must remain fair. One may try to win, but not at someone else’s cost,” Saha added.
Candidates could question school norms they disagreed with.
“It is alright to question or raise doubts about a rule, as long as it is done in the right language, tone and method. Defamatory language cannot be condoned and has no place in the election process,” she said.
Students were free to create reels to reach out to voters.
“We will keep our focus on mental health and weed out bullying through anti-bullying campaigns and closed-door sessions,” candidate Shreyan Chatterjee said in his campaign.
Another candidate, Oitijhya Mallick, said: “I have grown up in the heart of responsibility. I have seen how things work and where communication falls short, and the gaps that occur. That’s exactly what I am here to fix. Not everything is a big promise. Sometimes small day-to-day things add up to make real change.”
The campaign reels were short but incisive, with some garnering as many as 4,000 views.