The Ahmedabad Municipal School Board will hold its first meeting of the newly constituted body at 11am on Wednesday, October 21, to consider the appointment of its chairman and deputy chairman. Pragnesh Patel is expected to be appointed chairman and Ankit Rathod deputy chairman, although the final decision could change before the meeting, according to Nav Gujarat Samay – Ahmedabad.
The meeting follows the completion of the latest constitution process for the Ahmedabad Municipal Primary Education Committee. Twelve members were elected unopposed, while three additional members were appointed by the state government, taking the board’s strength to 15 members.
The proposed appointments have assumed importance because the chairman and deputy chairman will lead the board’s administrative and policy-related work. The newly formed body is expected to take an active role in decisions concerning the functioning of Ahmedabad’s municipal primary education system.
The 12 members elected unopposed are Pragnesh Patel, Ankit Rathod, Navin Patel, Dr Nilay Shukla, Liladhar Khadke, Parth Trivedi, Niki Shah, Chandrasingh Vaghela, Nitaben Prajapati, Amrut Vyas, Nandini Pandya and Sonal Patel.
The state government appointed Ahmedabad city district education officer Rohit Chaudhary as a government member. Chirag Solanki and Bhavanisinh Shekhawat were selected as non-government members. Together, these appointments completed the 15-member composition required for the board to begin the process of selecting its office-bearers.
The names of Patel and Rathod had been decided for the chairman and deputy chairman positions, but the appointments later became the subject of political activity and allegations, the report said. The Wednesday meeting will therefore determine whether the proposed names receive formal approval or whether changes are made at the last moment.
The municipal school board is responsible for participating in the governance of the city’s primary education administration. The appointment of its office-bearers will allow the newly formed body to move from constitution to formal decision-making. The outcome of the meeting will establish who leads the board as it begins its term.
