'Vote' extra marks for your child

Parents, show the indelible ink mark on your index finger, applied while casting vote, and secure additional marks for your wards!

In an innovative move, schools of the city have joined the league of those encouraging voters to exercise their franchise in this election. It probably the first ever concerted attempt of schools in the country to encourage polling.School authorities say that their incentive aims at increasing the polling percentage in urban areas of the state capital.Christ Church College principal Rakesh Chattree says: "In our cultural history, schools have always been lodestar in initiating reformation movements from time immemorial. This time we have decided to dole out extra marks to the students in the annual exams if their parents vote in the lok Sabha election-2014."

Under this unique initiative, students whose parents vote in the ongoing general election will get 10 additional marks in their annual exams at Christ Church College. The college has fixed a parents-teacher meeting on the day after lucknow goes to poll on April 30."In the meeting, the parents will have to show us the ink mark applied at the time of voting on their index finger and we will register the name of their ward in our record. We will provide 10 extra marks to the student concerned in the annual exams," Chattree said.

The Christ Church College has offered more incentive to encourage parents of its students to vote without fail. The principal said the college would also waive 50 per cent tuition fee of one student each of its primary, middle and senior sections if their parents cast their vote. These three students would be selected by lucky draw. St Joseph Inter College too has decided to dole out extra marks to students whose parents exercise their franchise in the general election.

"The day after polling, we will hold a parent-teacher meeting to prepare a list of students whose parents have exercised their franchise. We have decided to give 10 extra marks to students of classes I to VIII if their parents have cast vote and five marks to such students of classes IX and XI. In the case of Nursery and KG classes, the children will be given A or A+ grades," said managing director of St Joseph Inter College, Anil Agarwal.The Aminabad Inter College, a government-aided institution, is motivating female voters to exercise their franchise. Its principal, Jitendra Prakash Mishra, said if the mother of a student cast her vote, her child would be given four additional marks. 

However, only two marks will be awarded if the male parent casts vote. Not only this, one extra mark will be given if the siblings of a student cast vote in the general election."The student will have to show the receipt issued by the Election Commission after voting to avail the benefit of additional marks. This initiative is being taken to encourage educated people to step out of their houses and exercise their franchise to achieve the target of cent per cent voting," Mishra said.

Similarly, students of St Teresa College will be given extra grades in socially useful productive work (SUPW) if their parents vote."We will give five grade points in SUPW to the students whose parents cast vote in the 2014 parliamentary election. Grades in SUPW are very important in ICSE board because if a student gets E grade, he/she is not promoted to the next class despite doing good in other subjects," said St Teresa College principal Geetika Kapoor.