The Indian School Annual General Body Meeting (AGM) was conducted on Friday focusing on developmental plans and appreciating the academic brilliance achieved by the school in the previous years. The academic report showing exemplary results in the CBSE exams was highly appreciated by the parent body. The meeting held in the Riffa campus auditorium witnessed heated discussions before finalizing the proposals and resolutions. Very soon the Indian School parents will be able to pay their wards’ tuition fees through online mode. The fee payment gateway proposal which will be implemented in association with a leading financial service provider was approved by the AGM unanimously. Parents will be able to view pending invoices and history of payments in the app. The school has plans on the anvil to set up smart electronic tools which would boost the curriculum transactions in the classrooms, it was revealed.
Hon. Chairman Prince S Natarajan informed the parents that the ISB is moving ahead with a Solar Power Purchase Agreement (SPPA) for saving EWA bill expenses. This is a financial agreement where the developer arranges for the design, financing, and installation of a solar energy system in the Indian School property at little to no cost. The chairman said that the school could save a substantial amount of the EWA bill expenses by implementing this project which also shows the UNESCO-affiliated school’s commitment to sustainable development goals.
There was another proposal for LED display as backdrop and projector for both walls in the Jashanmal auditorium in Isa Town which was approved by the parents’ body. There was a conceptual proposal to develop and renovate the area around the Jashanmal auditorium and the swimming pool. The audited financial report was discussed in detail and approved by the AGM. The financial statement for the year ended 31 March 2022 showed positive signs of improving financial stability and prudence. The financial statement points out that the executive committee is confident that the school will generate satisfactory levels of positive cash flows from its future operations to repay its obligations as they fall due. A report about the rainwater leakage and damages of the Riffa campus building was also presented at the meeting. It pointed out a serious workmanship problem in roof waterproofing which will be probed further. The school buildings have been supplied a waterproofing guarantee which is for 5 years only by the contractors. This is unusual in the field of construction as the minimum acceptable guarantee for waterproofing is minimum 10 years, the report said.
The chairman clarified that the current executive committee is continuing as per the extension of the tenure of the EC granted by the Ministry of Education which was also upheld by the Honorable Courts in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The school received the directives from the MoE on November 24, 2020 granting the option to extend the term of the current board for a further three year term or to elect a new board of directors (EC) through electronic voting.
The EC convened an emergency meeting on November 25, 2020 and discussed the options granted by the MoE. After thorough deliberations all the members unanimously opted for continuing with the current EC until the situation becomes feasible to conduct the election to the EC in a safe and fair manner with the necessary approval from the MoE.
The school has already applied to the MoE last September seeking approval for conducting the election for the new EC. The election to the new EC will be conducted as soon as the school gets the necessary directives from the concerned authorities.
ISB Hon.Chairman Prince S Natarajan, Hon.Secretary Saji Antony, Vice-Chairman Jayafar Maidani, Executive Committee Members Binu Mannil Varughese, Mohammad Kuhrsheed Alam, Premalatha NS, Rajesh Nambiar, Ajayakrishnan V, Mohammad Nayaz Ullah, Principal VR Palaniswamy and Staff Representative Johnson K Devassy attended the meeting.
Prince Natarajan requested the continued support and cooperation of parents to ensure the stability of the school as well as to provide the best possible education to the children during these challenging times. The AGM ratified major contracts, project proposals, academic report, annual working report of the EC and confirmed the minutes of the previous AGM.
The meeting approved the resolution that the MoE nominee to the EC shall be a parent and not any past EC member. The school will provide reply to queries and feedback from the parents within 7 days from the receipt of such emails, it was decided.
A few parents tried to disrupt the proceedings but the Executive committee members under the leadership of Prince Natarajan could pacify and convince them that all allegations were baseless. The AGM ended on a positive note having clarified all the queries and approving plans for taking the ISB to greater heights.
