IISJ set to elect management committee

The election of the management committee of Indian International School in Jeddah (IISJ) is about to start. A total of 5,601 Indian parents have been deemed eligible to vote. The release of the voter's list is a first step in election process.
“We are waiting for dates for nomination and voting from the Ministry of Education,” said IISJ Principal and Election Commissioner Syed Masud Ahmed. The school had already received formal approval for the election. Ahmed said that the election would be held for seven seats on the management committee and there are criteria for the number of candidates originating from each Indian state.
The number of parent-voters from the state of Andhra Pradesh added to 2,000 and topped the list of voters. Kerala is the second largest group at approximately 1,800 voters.
The current managing committee of the school was selected – not elected – and assumed power in Dec. 2011.
The election or selection of the management committee of the Indian International School in Jeddah is a contentious issue in the Indian community. In the past, a large section of voters boycotted the voting. The election authorities had also rejected the nomination papers, without giving a reason. This caused an indignation among the community leaders.
In the initial years of elections there was a large response among parents. However, this interest gradually decreased for various reasons, to the point where there were not enough nominees for the election. This led to a postponement of voting.
The forthcoming management committee has a challenging task to find the school’s girls’ section a new building. The lease term for the current premises in Aziziah, for which late Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1982 laid the first stone, is going to end in next year. Authorities had asked the school to vacate the premises after the lease term was completed. The new committee has to select new premises for girls’ section. Improving the quality of education with the newly introduced CCE pattern of CBSE is also another task for the management committee.