ACTIZEN Activity 3
School Right-o-Meter
Type of Activity – In Classroom Activity
Introduction
The Indian Constitution recognises and guarantees six fundamental rights to all its citizens which are important to protect the citizens against the arbitrary exercise of power by the government. As responsible and accountable citizens of the country, we must be aware when these rights are respected, and when they are withheld.
We all know that our Constitution guarantees these fundamental rights to all its citizens and our young generation i.e our students also have the same rights. It is important for them to know about their rights at home, at school, and in their neighbourhood. It is also imperative that they better understand the need for being responsible citizens who perform their duties, too.
In today’s session, we request our teachers to give background information to the students about their rights and duties. It will be helpful to connect the information with scenarios pertaining to their home, school, society, and also to the country they live in. This activity is not about teaching fundamental rights per se – however, it will help them to learn the concept of rights in a simple and easy way by assessing the space where they spend a significant amount of time, their school.
The success of any democratic system depends largely on its citizens because democracy is a two-way road where government and citizen behaviours reinforce each other. We believe that students will also be able to draw this parallel between a school and its students, thereby understanding that for the effective functioning of the school and for the growth of students, both need to work towards it.
Expected Outcomes
Students will able to:
- Analyse the school’s environment vis-a-vis the rights that are provided to them
- Recognise the importance of fundamental rights provided by the Constitution
- Analyse the school culture in a democratic way
- Help their school become more democratic through their innovative suggestions and ideas
Teachers' Section - Steps for the Activity
- Explain to the students, the activity in brief. Tell them, that we as Indian citizens have certain rights provided by our Constitution and that students also are entitled to some rights at home and, at school.
- Let them know that school is a place where we can learn the concepts of rights and duties with live examples and practices.
- Tell them that today we are going to conduct a survey as part of which the students need to give a rating on certain parameters based on their experiences and observations about their school.
- Share the “Record Sheet” with all students.
- Please note that the survey is general in nature and can be conducted with all students.
- This activity is not to evaluate the school, but to teach students the concepts related to a democratic environment. Therefore, nothing is right or wrong here, this is only to invite and gauge student's observations and experiences.
Students' Section
Instructions to fill up the "Record sheet"
- Read each statement and assess how accurately it describes your school in the blank space next to it. (Keep in mind all members of your school: students, teachers, administrators, staff, etc.)
- Give a rating from 0-2 (Neutral, Disagree, Agree) as per your own observations and experiences.
- In the end, total your scores to determine your overall assessment score for your school.
Activity
Write one suggestion to make your school more democratic than it already is and add it to the suggestion box (to be installed at school premises/classroom). In case this activity is carried out online, assign any 1 class representative to compile all suggestions in one spreadsheet or Word doc.
Feedback Form (To be filled by Teachers)
Teachers need to login to access this Feedback
It was a good experience to us.
Students were made aware about their fundamental rights through the Right O Meter.
DeshApnayen Minutes of Meetings