RIYADH — Yara International School, Riyadh experienced the true democratic fervor during the school elections, which culminated in the investiture ceremony of the school council for the academic year 2017-2018 at the school auditorium. The grand ceremony began with an invocation of the Almighty and was followed by the welcome address by the principal Aasima Saleem. She congratulated all the contestants for participating. She expressed hope that the experience gained from elections and the bestowed leadership role will be valuable for a lifetime. Chief guest P. K. Abdu Rabb, former education minister of Kerala, along with the MC members felicitated the elected candidates with the sachet and delivered a speech of much essence. He briefed the students about leadership qualities and gave a comparative and enriching talk about the students elections held back in India and in a foreign country. He wished the elected candidates all success in their future endeavors and wished that their positions would give them a chance to work for the community without any prejudice. He also talked about the reforms, which he brought in during his tenure i.e. to allot Higher Secondary school for each Panchayat, and a college for each constituency, to motivate and enliven the spirits of the future leaders. The bestowal of the badges to the elected candidates by their fathers turned out to be most applauded moment. The oath-taking ceremony was solemnized by the principal. Head girl Daniya Iqbal and the Head boy Zain Shafi, along with the other Cabinet members, took their pledge. The MC members Habeeb-Ur Rahman (convener, academic committee and general administration), Showkathali Shahjahan (chairman), A. R. Kutty (secretary) and Khalid Rahman (member of purchase committee) were present. Habeeb and. Shahjahan addressed the gathering. Shahjahan briefed the audience about the milestones Yara has made both in academics and co-curricular activities. Habeeb's speech was a picturesque description of the evolution of Yara — the initial stage, growing years, striving stage and finally how it achieved its present status of the prestigious institution. He also gave an encapsulated description of the achievements of the Chief Guest Abdu Rabb. Shafi, representing the school Cabinet, addressed the gathering and presented the school election report enlisting all the procedures right from the nomination stage. Vote of thanks was delivered by the VP Anandan Sebastian followed by the Indian National Anthem.
