Why is student voice important?

Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn, says Benjamin Franklin. Involvement of students is what is needed to bring about a much needed revolution in the Indian education system. Someone has appropriately defined student voice as the individual and collective perspective and actions of students within the context of learning and education. It is indeed logical to have power in the hands of those who are going to be influenced by the whole system as our end goal is not to make students literate but educated.

I agree to Adam Fletcher when he says, “The single problem plaguing all students in all schools everywhere is the crisis of disconnection. Meaningful Student Involvement happens when the roles of students are actively re-aligned from being the passive recipients of schools to becoming active partners throughout the educational process.” Thus, when student perspective is heard and valued, students get an opportunity to become a part of the problem solving process rather than just being the problem themselves. Their thought becomes introspective when they know that their voice is being heard and that it has the power to bring about a change. When students are given choice, control, challenge and opportunities for collaboration they become alert, their motivation and engagement rises and it also increases their ability of complex thinking. Aren’t all these the end goals of education?

Students have untapped expertise and knowledge that can bring renewed relevance

and authenticity to classrooms and school reform efforts.The job of the teacher here

remains only to unleash their knowledge and expertise and shape it in a way that it benefits them. If that knowledge is given voice and brought into action, it would do wonders, it would be beneficial for the student in terms of academic achievement and for the school in terms of creating a healthy and engaging learning atmosphere. I again quote Adam Fletcher from his book Meaningful Student Involvement Guide to Students as Partners, “The work of meaningful student involvement is not easy or instantly rewarding. It demands that the system of schooling change, and that the attitudes of students, educators, parents and community members change.” 

Thereby, if we want students to become the change makers of tomorrow rather today as well we shall equip them so as to how to voice their opinion, how to put forward things that they believe in, how to oppose things that they dislike and how to give someone feedback. And what better place to start this than their own cocoon, that is their classroom, where they have people who understand their mistakes, correct them when they are wrong and help them to rise when they fall. It is at this time that we make them understand that no matter if they are alone or in a group, they shall voice an opinion which they firmly believe in. And that is why student voice is important in education system, because if we want to create leaders of tomorrow, there is no better time to develop our students as leaders than today.

However in the learning environment they shall also be taught that with power, in this case power of speech, come responsibilities. When we give them the right to student voice it is important to teach them that they shall use it responsibly, only then can it be a positive for our education system and only then will they exercise this right appropriately in future as well. I would like to end by saying, the opposite of being controlled is to be able to make decisions, to have one’s voice heard.

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Written by Shubhashree Sathe

Edited by Urjashi Laha