Agartala, May 16, 2026: Over the last two-and-a-half decades, Tripura has witnessed a rapid rise in the number of English-medium schools. While some institutions are managed by Christian missionary groups and others by Hindu religious organizations, several schools established by individuals and private groups have focused primarily on providing quality education in a healthy academic environment rather than commercial gains.

Among such institutions is Agartala Public School (APS), situated at Baldakhal near Chandrapur. The school was founded by veteran editor Arun Nath, who had earlier launched Tripura’s first English daily newspaper, Tripura Observer, in 1992. Starting its journey in 2011-12 with only nursery classes, the school has gradually expanded and now offers education up to Class X. At present, APS has a student strength of over 300 and emphasizes the overall development of its students.

In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the school on Saturday organized elections for its five-member student council, with students actively participating in the democratic process through voting. Teacher Mousumi Rani Saha served as the Returning Officer, and the election was conducted peacefully under the supervision of Principal-in-Charge Shiba Prasad Bhowmik.

According to the results declared after the polling, Afrina Khan of Class IX was elected Prime Minister, while Sujata Sutradhar (Class IX) became Home Minister. Tanmay Datta of Class X was elected Sports Minister, Mahek Chowdhury of Class VII secured the post of Cultural Minister, and Nilakshi Das of Class IX was chosen as Education Minister.

Speaking about the initiative, Arun Nath said the election was organized to acquaint students with democratic values and the electoral system practiced in the country. He said the exercise was intended to make students understand the significance of participation in democracy as part of their educational development.

“We felt that taking part in elections would help students learn democratic values in a practical way. The enthusiasm among students clearly showed the success of the initiative,” Nath said.

He also pointed out that no other government or private school in the state currently conducts such student council elections. APS had earlier drawn attention by observing International Students’ Day on October 15 last year. Nath said the day, recognized globally by the United Nations and coinciding with the birth anniversary of former President and scientist A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, would continue to be observed annually by the school.