IIPS parents to vote for management panel tomorrow

Elections for seven seats of the management committee of the International Indian Public School (IIPS), Riyadh, will be held tomorrow, IIPS Principal K.M. Abdul Azeez announced yesterday.
“All eligible parents whose names appear on the voters' list have been asked to cast their votes to elect new members of the management panel,” said Azeez, who has also been authorized by the Ministry of Education to act as the chief election commissioner.
Azeez said the parents can visit the IIPS anytime between 9 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. and cast their votes. He pointed out that the counting of votes will be done in continuation and results will be declared immediately.
A total of 10 contestants are in contention as per the final list of the candidates displayed at the school website. Fourteen candidates were initially found eligible to contest, but four candidates withdrew their nominations later.
Nominees include Dr. Mohammed Iqbal Siddique, Dr. Salman Khalid and Dr. Sadia Arjumand from Uttar Pradesh; Imtiaz Ahmed and Mohammed Anwar from Andhra Pradesh; George Tharakan K.J. and Naushad M. Yusuf from Kerala; Izhar Hussain Ansari from Maharashtra and Shahul Hameed and S. Suresh Kumar from Tamil Nadu.
Many other regions and provinces of India are not represented, possibly because of the lackluster response from the parents.
The newly elected management panel, which will function under the patronage of Indian Ambassador Hamid Ali Rao, will be primarily entrusted with the task to formulate plans and policies of the school, ensure proper utilization of school funds and give a new direction to the institution. The panel will also encourage community involvement and empower themselves to manage their own school in order to improve the quality of their children's education.
“The idea is that they work in a participatory, shared environment where all members strive to achieve a common goal of sustainable quality education within their school,” said Azeez, while explaining the rules and regulations of the election.
He pointed out that the voter will have to produce his original iqama or passport at the time of casting his vote. Photocopies will not be accepted.
“Each voter has to vote for seven candidates, not less, not more,” said Azeez, urging all eligible parents to use their franchise in the interest of the school and the community at large. The term of the managing panel will be for three years.
Each booth will be supervised by one of the staff members. The voter is not allowed to carry any slip of paper or publicity material inside the polling area. In cases when the father is not in the city, the mother can vote on his behalf after proper authorization, said Azeez.
He said a voter must carefully affix stamps within the box space provided on the right of the desired candidate’s name on the ballot paper and put the ballot paper in the ballot box in front of the election commissioner. Even if any marks cross the boundary of the box, the ballot will be invalid. A ballot with an incorrect affixation of the stamp will be treated as invalid. A voter can affix a stamp on a maximum of two candidates from any one state and voting for more than two candidates from the same state will invalidate the ballot.
Canvassing is prohibited in and around the election booth and also in the surroundings of the school. No one else except the candidate, voter and persons related to the election affairs will be allowed inside the voting area.
The candidate and the polling agent will be permitted to oversee the counting. The names of the candidates will be arranged state-wise and in alphabetical order on the ballot paper.
The IIPS is affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), New Delhi, India. The school is licensed and supervised by the Ministry of Education.