Students with a voice

Student councils help towards the development of students, encouraging them to voice their opinions and be more active within their schools. This was confirmed through a study carried out by the Institute of Education of the University of London, entitled Real Decision-Making? School Councils In Action, which was published last week.

The study carried out by the University of London focuses on "pupil voice", using the school councils as the main spring-board to make children's voices heard.

The report states that "pupil voice can be understood as pupils having the opportunity to have a say in decisions that affect them. It entails pupils playing an active role in their education and schooling as a result of schools becoming more attentive and responsive, in sustained and routine ways, to pupils' views."

The report offers two important definitions of pupil voice. The first is a wide definition which brings together any method possible through which students offer their views and preferences. "In this sense, all teachers from time to time encourage and are involved with pupil voice."

The second is a narrower view, suggesting that students are given the chance to voice their opinions in decisions that affect them in school. "It entails pupils playing an active role in their education and schooling as a result of schools becoming more attentive and responsive, in sustained and routine ways, to pupil's views.'

Geoff Whitty, who together with Emma Wisby, carried out this research, commented that "genuine pupil voice requires some power and influence to be given to pupils and, therefore, has the potential to challenge school priorities. Where there is no such potential there is the danger of cynicism developing among pupils."

Encouraging pupil voice within schools can have many beneficial aspects. Proponents of the children's rights argue for the need to consult young people on matters that affect them, and to take their views into account, as a matter of principle, Professor Whitty states. Active citizenship is another benefit, where pupil voice helps provide a context for effective citizenship education, particularly for pupils' learning about the principles and processes of democracy.

Two other benefits are school improvement and personalisation. The former deals with different ways in which pupils can be consulted about their school and their learning in order that teachers will respond, attainment increase and standards rise. The latter highlights how "pupil voice becomes part of efforts to establish user-led education provision and ensure that schools are meeting the needs of their pupils."

"Whichever benefit of pupil voice is being considered, school councils are a particularly tangible and visible manifestation of its presence. They can be important in offering a formal, democratic, transparent and accountable whole-school forum for pupil participation - one which links to the broader governance framework of a school," Professor Whitty said.

The report offered a number of areas that should be given special consideration for improvement.

Among these are that schools must set clear aims and objectives for their provision for pupil voice. They must train teachers "to facilitate provision for pupil voice without dominating pupils deliberations". The report also suggested that schools signal that they take pupil voice seriously, through, for example, "senior staff involvement and links between pupils and governing bodies, as well as opportunities for pupils to input into decision-making in all areas of school life, including teaching and learning."

"Ensuring that pupils have a good understanding of their rights and responsibilities will help to prevent inappropriate expressions of pupil voice," the report concluded.

Student councils in Malta

In Malta, the importance of student councils has already been recognised. Apart from emanating from the Convention on Children's Right, student councils are strongly encouraged in the government's document For All Children To Succeed, and are acknowledged to be an integral part of the school structure:

"Each school within the college will be managed and led by a head of school. All models are based on the premise that each school will have its own head of school, assistant heads, teaching and non-teaching staff, a school council and a student council."

The recent agreement between the MUT and the government reinforces the role of student councils as beneficial to students:

"The government and the union agree that school councils and student councils are beneficial to the students, parents and school and shall encourage participation by all concerned. A school council and a student council are elected representative structures through which students, teachers and parents can become involved in and committed to the affairs of the school, working in partnership with school management and staff for the benefit of the students and the school they attend. Student councils give students a voice and a role in the school and serve as an important opportunity for personal development and to foster greater responsibility in their behaviour."

Josephine Vassallo, Education Officer for Democracy and Values within the Education Division, said that many schools have already formed their student councils. However, the aim is to set up a council in every primary and secondary school.

She explained that student councils participated in a conference last March, which brought together students from the Boys' Secondary Schools of Guze D'Amato, Vincenzo Borg Brared, and Lorenzo Gafà, the Girls' Secondary Schools of Maria Goretti, Erin Serracino Inglott and Sir Luigi Preziosi, the Guzeppi Despott and Dun Guzepp Zammit Brighella Boys' Junior Lyceum, the Margaret Mortimer, Maria Regina, St Theresa Girls' Junior Lyceum, Fra Diego Bonanno Girls School, the schools of Our Lady Immaculate, St Dorothy, St Michael, St Albert the Great and De La Salle College and San Andrea School. Students from Naxxar Boys' School and Sacred Heart School Foundation attended as observers.

Ms Vassallo said that it was clear that student councils were becoming a very important institution within the schools.

"Students' empowerment is no longer being seen as a threat for undermining authority and discipline, but as a means of making the school a democratic community where all the stakeholders work together to make the school a better place for everyone. Thanks to the student councils, schools are going beyond the function of preparing our youths only and exclusively in the academic realm. These budding leaders are given responsibility of organising activities and putting forward initiatives to promote solidarity, peace, good school environment, health and children's rights. They are succeeding in attaining this by working in collaboration with other groups within the school and even with the community at large, such as liasing with the parents, the school councils and even the local councils."

The Democracy and Values Education Section is about to conduct a series of seminars for link teachers and member-students. The first seminar for link teachers from Santa Margherita College, St Benedict's College, St George Preca College, St Ignatius College and St Clare's College is being held on Tuesday, October 9.

Louis Borg, Head of Department for Citizenship and Values Education, who is coordinating with Ms Vassallo this training programme, explained that the principal aim is to develop certain skills and know-how needed for the effective functioning of such councils, such as the proper formulation of a constitution, the actual role of council members, and the election process.

"The conduction of these seminars is based mostly on the experiential learning style which focuses more on active participation than having students as passive recipients of information. A number of games are designed to provide fun and promote group cohesion besides helping develop skills like listening, cooperation, resolving conflict, inclusion, decision-taking and leadership. These are all important elements for the smooth functioning of groups. It is hoped that link teachers would eventually hold such seminars themselves say, for example, on a college basis."

He said that although student councils have become quite widely established in our schools there are still certain practices which need to be introduced or developed.

"A case in point is the introduction of class councils which would link with the principle student council; this would take the democratic process to class-room level thus benefiting a larger number of students. Another example is that of formulating agendas which needs balancing off. Students should be careful not to dwell too much on asking for things but also on being active," Mr Borg added.