A student government or student council is a group of students, associated to represent their fellow mates and juniors, for a common cause like speaking for the rights of the students & protests against any discrimination or infringement of their rights. The idea of having the same first came into the minds of school authorities in the era of the early 20th century. The sole purpose behind it was to teach students the true meaning of republic and democracy, right from their teenage & early years of adulthood. It is headed by a president, elected by the students themselves. The president and the secretary are the key persons of the council. Here we will see about What does a secretary do in Student Government?
Being the key stakeholder in a student government, a secretary plays an important role in the successful running of the same. He acts as a link between the students & the college authority. He has many duties and responsibilities to perform like –
He is responsible for arranging the meetings of the council with its president.
He records the minutes of every such meeting and corresponds to any pending discussion of the past meetings.
He announces the decision (if made any) & conclusion of the meeting held, in his speech.
He carries forward any issue regarding the students, discussed in the meeting, to the college principal and persuades the authority to take corrective actions as soon as possible.
He has the task of sending emails to students’ parents regarding any complaints, important announcements, birthday wishes, and congratulatory messages for any achievement of the child.
He is entrusted with the arrangement of any big events, formals, homecoming, and many other activities related to students.
He makes & answers the phone calls and corresponds to the message politely & perfectly.
He acts as a treasurer of the government as he maintains a track record of the funds (spending & earnings). If the council has any staff members that are hired on a pay scale then, the disbursement of their salaries is his responsibility.
At the high school level, the secretary of the student council also has to maintain the attendance records & enrolment forms.
What are the qualities a student secretary should have?
He should be compassionate towards members of the association & other college students.
He is willing to serve his best for the community of students.
He should have good communication skills.
He should be confident and self-reliant with the tasks assigned to him.
He must have the technical knowledge and be proficient in working on computers, especially MS-word.
He should have characteristics like empathy, a good level of EQ (Emotional Quotient) & IQ, to correlate with the problems of the students and corresponds to them promptly.
He should have to be a keen observer who can notice even the smallest detail.
What is the procedure to become a secretary of my school/college?
Get yourself enrolled in some office courses. It helps you to get a data entry-level job plus acquaints you with practical working knowledge.
Get a post-secondary certificate or degree.
Ensure to never miss any big events like formals, college dinners, etc., and if you get the chance of public speaking, do it for sure.
Make contacts with your juniors, seniors, and groups like fraternities & sororities. It will help you to get noticed among others and your chances of being elected will increase automatically.
Keep an eye on any vacancy released for the post of secretary.
Prepare an effective speech before applying for the post.
If you have all the desired qualities & skills, you’ll get elected.
Start your work with full dedication while enjoying it. Good Luck!!
Conclusion –
A secretary is a well-organized person who records every tits & bit of the meetings of the council or government. Being good at time management, he is a pro at multi-tasking. He is the voice of the association as well as all students, who carry the message forward in the hierarchy. The work of a secretary is tedious & stressful as compared to other members. Without him, running a successful government is near to impossible.
Frequently Asked Questions: –
Q1. What is the difference between a student government and a student council?
Student government is formed at the college or university level especially to solve the issues of students at the undergraduate level. On the other hand, a Student council is formed at the high school level, where a group of juniors and seniors come together to represent the younger students.
Q2. Why should I join student government?
The perks of joining the student government of your college are many. It will make you feel empowered and your fellows & juniors will start taking you seriously and will respect you. It gives you a chance to bring the change, the best feeling ever. It can give impetus to the launching of your career as most of the members used to join politics after college. New doors of opportunities will open as you come in contact with many outside organizations.
