Schools in the city have taken novel steps to educate students about the Lokpal Bill and the entire issue surrounding it. While some schools have invited experts to conduct special sessions on creating awareness on the bill, others have planned teachers' training, who will further engage classes dedicated to the bill so as to make students aware.
The Maharashtra Education Society (MES) that runs four schools in the city has already made plans to impart training to teachers as far as the Lokpal Bill is concerned. Vinayak Shukla, secretary, MES, said, "A session with the teachers explaining both sides of the bill will be explained by a panel of experts. The teachers will further educate the students." By the end of August, the schools will be ready with the schedule and plan for the sessions.
The Vidya Valley School has asked students of higher classes to prepare a power point presentation on what they understood about the Lokpal Bill. "The students of class IX and X will prepare presentations and explain their understanding of the bill at various sessions scheduled in the school. Based on the students' understanding, further deliberations on educating them and spreading more information will be held," Nalini Sengupta, principal of the school, said.
The Jnana Prabodhini School in Nigdi has been explaining in simple words one or two points from the bill to students in the school's daily assembly. "The students are told in simple words what the bill is all about and what would be the implications after it is passed and why there is an ongoing controversy," Suman Shenoy, principal of the schools, said.
In April, when the first protest by Anna Hazare took place at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, the school had invited an alumnus, who is now an advocate, to explain the bill to the students. The teachers at Jnana Prabodhini also spend ten minutes every day to review the situation and teach few points from the bill to students.
"Our school is also on a relay fast where one teacher and a non-teaching staff observe fast for the day. We also took out a march from the school to the Bhakti-Shakti chowk on Saturday to support the bill," Shenoy said.
The students of St Mira's English Medium School took a pledge, prepared by the school director, on how India should be free of corruption. The students and teachers recite the pledge everyday at the assembly, Kiran Jotwani, principal of the school, said.