The newly elected governing body of the International Indian School in Riyadh (IISR) has elected a new chairman and vice-chairman.

P. Ommer Niaz is the school’s new chairman and Roji Mavelil Mathew is his deputy, said S.M. Shaukat Perwez, IISR’s principal.

“A meeting of members of the new management committee was held where Niaz and Mathew were elected through a secret ballot process.”

The committee’s seven members took part in the elections attended by Musaid Al-Mohsin Al-Mujahid, an observer from the Ministry of Education; and Awanish Tiwari, second secretary from the Embassy of India in Riyadh. Perwez was also an election observer.

This is the first time that a chairman and vice-chairman have been elected by members of the management committee. In previous elections, candidates with the highest votes took up the top positions.

A total of 16 candidates were in the running on Sept. 14 for places on the IISR’s management committee. The winners were Shafi Ahmad Sattar, Dilshad Ahmad, S.H.A. Hyder Ali, Ibrahim Rahmatullah, Mohammed Naseeruddin, Niaz and Mathew. The governing body is responsible for the strategic direction of the school and seeking education opportunities for students.

The new governing body faces several concerns raised by parents and community organizations, including regularizing the status of women teachers, academic improvement, transparency in the school accounts, a better transport system, and moving the IISR girl’s section to larger premises.

Founded in October 1982, the IISR is one of the largest schools in the Kingdom, with 10,000 students and 500 teachers.

The school is affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education in New Delhi and licensed by the Saudi Education Ministry.