‘Nayaks’ hone leadership skills by managing college for a day

Milagres College in Kallianpur took its leadership training to the next level, by delegating administration responsibilities to students for a day, on Monday.

Under the ‘Nayak - A Day Without Teachers’ initiative, students effortlessly slipped into the roles of their dedicated teachers, attendees and principal.

Though timetables remained the same, the teachers who conducted classes for the student attendees were in their twenties.

Students also played the roles of receptionists, the principal, deans and librarians to the hilt.

To ensure that all goes well, a student discipline committee was also in place to discipline the occasional errant student.

“I had never considered becoming a lecturer or giving a lecture,” admits Suchitha S Nayak, a student of third BCA, who had donned the role of Dean of Department of Computer Application.

“Lecturing seemed like a piece of cake once I got the hang of it,” she informed.

“I didn’t have stage fright as I act in dramas. But, my heart was still pounding before entering the class. On receiving support from my students, I went on to do my job well. Pretending to be a teacher and actually being a teacher are two different things,” she explains.

“It was a fantastic opportunity given to us and it boosted my confidence. Every student should get this opportunity during their academic career,” Suchitha told DH.

Jimson Blen Dcunha, who played the role of the principal, said, “I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been given such a huge responsibility by the college administration. I believe we definitely lived up to their trust and managed it flawlessly. Placing myself in the shoes of our principal was truly an enlightening experience for me.”

It took massive efforts to supervise 800 students as part of the ‘Nayak’ initiative, he said.

“The intensive training programme provided me with valuable experience that will help me improve my organisational, management and leadership skills,” he stressed.

Clifton D’Silva, who headed the commerce department, said he was entrusted with the responsibility of managing the biggest department and a class of 180 students.

“I learned so much today,” he stresses and adds that teachers are underpaid for their efforts.

The college’s principal, Dr Vincent Alva, proudly declared that this day will be written in gold letters in the history of Milagres College.

“True to my belief, my students demonstrated that running a college was like a cakewalk. They ran the college without teachers for a day, with a professional touch,” he said.