Learnings…..
We began exactly at 10:00 a.m.
And we closed the day only by 5:00 p.m., tired, fulfilled, and deeply moved.
The Student Delegates Grand Finale of iVision Youth Parliament (iVision YP) was never meant to be a spectacle. It was meant to be a process. A rigorous one. A fair one. And above all, a student-centred one.
That day, 214 students walked into the final arena after weeks of preparation and two days of intense rehearsals. They were divided across three committees, with approximately 72 students in each. What followed over the next seven hours was not just debate—it was evidence. Evidence of what happens when children are trusted, prepared, and protected by process.
The points raised were substantial, the views articulated carried merit, and most strikingly, the confidence of the students had grown manifold since the rehearsals. These were not rehearsed speeches delivered for applause. These were young minds thinking on their feet, listening to one another, responding, disagreeing respectfully, and collaborating meaningfully.
Years ago, a former Principal once told me something that has stayed with me ever since:
“Students will never fail you, Anjali. Adults might—if things don’t go right.”
That sentence echoed in my mind throughout the day.
Because once again, the students did not fail us.
What was tested that day was not the children—but the systems around them.
We had teacher mentors present, some deeply committed, others visibly uncomfortable—not because of any technical lapse, but because apathy and casualness were not brushed under the carpet. Processes were followed. Timelines were respected. Procedures were enforced. And not everyone is comfortable when discipline replaces convenience.
At the same time, it would be deeply unfair not to acknowledge the few diligent members of the DEO Hyderabad team who were fully immersed in the programme—quietly supportive, attentive, and invested in the spirit of what the students were doing.
Standing firm throughout all of this was the Ikshana Academic Team. We were unwavering when it came to:
- protecting student interest,
- maintaining committee discipline,
- enforcing decided procedures, and
- ensuring quorum, fairness, and order.
This was not rigidity. This was responsibility.
One of the most important decisions we took—perhaps invisible to many but foundational to integrity—was the complete anonymisation of the jury process.
No child’s name, school, or mandal appeared on the jury sheets.
Not a single identifier.
Each student stood before the jury only as a speaker, a thinker, and a collaborator—nothing more, nothing less. No halo effects. No assumptions. No unconscious bias. Just content, conduct, and collaboration.
The jury themselves deserve special mention. They were all close friends, yes—but far more importantly, they were professionals. They stayed through the entire event, from start to finish, judging with diligence, care, and consistency. They listened. They debated among themselves. They weighed every score. And when the results emerged, they truly reflected the champions of the day.
Behind the scenes, my own team—Ankur, Sakshi, Fathima, and others—were nothing short of rock solid. Calm under pressure. Alert to detail. Moving pieces quietly into place. Ensuring that transitions were seamless and that the entire day ran with clockwork precision.
And then came the moments that no agenda sheet can capture.
The happy students.
The satisfied parents—many of whom said this exercise must become a routine feature in their children’s lives.
The unsolicited feedback.
The smiles of relief.
The sense of achievement.
And finally, the unexpected but deeply moving requests from students and parents asking us to pose for photographs with them. The gratitude was unfiltered, unprompted, and profound. Those moments—quietly standing beside a student for a photograph—felt more rewarding than any formal recognition ever could.
The iVision YP Grand Finale reaffirmed something I have always believed:
Children do not need lowering of standards. They need clarity, consistency, and courage from the adults around them.
When we choose ethics over optics, process over convenience, and fairness over favour, children rise—every single time.
And they did. Beautifully.
Wickedlyours 