Starting a Student Government (Inshallah)

One of the goals for Municipal & Community Development is Civics Education, which means teaching people, usually kids, about what the government’s role is and about what it means to be a good citizen. The Scouts does this in a way, promoting civic participation and volunteerism. Another project that I had discussed with some of my villagers was starting a student government at the middle school. This would teach kids about the electoral process, how the government is structured, etc., and provide a means for the students to become more active participants in their community and take on leadership roles. Both the municipal staff and the school director were supportive of this idea, and the director and I set up a meeting for the following week with the few teachers who would facilitate the student government to make an action plan, a timeline for what needed to be done to get this going.

Unfortunately, the teachers went on strike the following week, so we pushed the meeting back to the next week. They were on strike the next week, as well… and the next… The strike would go for a few days, stop, and then start up again. Apparently the teachers haven’t been receiving the pay checks… In the end, we decided to put this project on hold, try to make a plan over the summer vacation, and start the student government next school year. Keep your fingers crossed…