P T K Shameer has emerged victorious in the Indian Schools Board of Directors (BoD) elections held on Saturday, securing 594 votes. He was closely followed by Damodar R Katti with 550 votes, Syed Ahmad Salman with 496 votes, Krishnendhu S with 440 votes, and Nidheesh Kumar P P with 432 votes.
As many as 85 votes were nullified while other contestants, Saji Uthuppan bagged 407 votes, Vijay with 268 and Prabhakar with 231 votes
The BoD is composed of one school representatives each from four schools, Indian Schools Ghobra, Wadi Kabir, Muscat, and Darsait; 2 members from promoter schools, ISG and ISWK; 2 nominated by the embassy and a diplomat.
"Fourteen members out of the 15 who have voting rights will elect their Chairman of the Board by voting whose tenure will be for 2 years", said Babu Rjendran, Election Commission.
Eight candidates vied for the five-member BoD positions, with voting commencing at 8 am. While the morning witnessed a lukewarm turnout, the pace picked up significantly in the afternoon as parents arrived in large numbers to cast their ballots. Voting concluded at 5 pm under the strict supervision of the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social Development, and the Royal Oman Police (ROP).
The Election Commission (EC) of the Board of Directors announced the results during a press conference held later that evening.
Preparations for the election began on November 17, 2024, with the issuance of nomination forms. Candidates filed their nominations between November 21 and December 7, 2024, and had the option to withdraw until December 26, following scrutiny on December 14. The final list of candidates was published on December 27, 2024.
To ensure parents were well-informed, a detailed brochure introducing the candidates was distributed and uploaded to the EC’s website in early January 2025.
Election Commissioner Babu Rajendran highlighted the extensive efforts undertaken by the EC to ensure a seamless election process. The Election Commission included Commissioner Rajendran and members Shakeel K M, Divesh Loomba, Mythili Ananth, Tapan Viz, and Mariyam Cheriyan.
“We worked tirelessly to conduct a flawless election and believe we have achieved that,” Rajendran said. He emphasized the role of the dedicated website, www.indianschoolsbodelection.org, in keeping parents informed and verifying their voting eligibility through parent IDs. Ample time was provided for parents to report discrepancies.
The EC commended the fairness and dignity maintained throughout the process. “The election was conducted in compliance with Omani laws and upheld a spirit of respect and integrity among all candidates,” the representatives noted. They also lauded the absence of defamation or malicious propaganda, ensuring a constructive and collaborative environment.
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