Student Leadership (SL)

Student leadership

The 18th Student Council Presidential Election was successfully conducted during the school assembly on 1^st April 2026. The event drew an impressive turnout of students, teachers, and staff members in the multi-purpose hall, marking a significant milestone in student democratic participation. The main aim of the rally was to allow the five presidential candidates to share their manifestos and electoral symbols as seen in Fig. 1. The event commenced with video introductions from all five presidential candidates, each presenting their unique vision and leadership approach to the assembled school community.

Fig. 1 Presidential candidates’ manifesto and electoral symbols

The programme continued with a comprehensive Question-and-Answer session featuring carefully curated questions submitted through the Peicai Student Leaders Instagram page, as seen in Fig. 2. This digital engagement platform was introduced last year, demonstrating an innovative approach to ensure widespread participation from the student body.

Fig. 2 Presidential candidates addressing the questions from the Instagram Q&A

The rally reached its crescendo with an engaging live Question-and-Answer segment, where candidates faced direct questions from the audience. This interactive portion provided an invaluable opportunity for students and teachers to engage directly with the candidates in Fig. 3 and 4.

Fig. 3 & 4 Students stepping up to ask questions

The candidates were put to the test during this live Q&A session, demonstrating their capacity to articulate their thoughts clearly when receiving spontaneous queries. They confidently explored their visions, aspirations, and proposed initiatives for enhancing the school environment, as seen in Fig. 5.

Fig. 5 Presidential candidates addressing the questions from the live Q&A

A groundbreaking element of this year's election was the introduction of an authentic physical voting process, representing a first for the school. Students participated in a genuine democratic exercise by marking their preferred candidate on official voting slips and depositing them into secure ballot boxes prepared by the current Student Councillors, as seen in Fig. 6 and 7. This innovative approach created considerable excitement among the student body, as it closely mirrored the procedures of actual government elections.

Fig. 6 & 7 Student Councillors preparing for the voting process

The implementation of this authentic election process served multiple educational objectives beyond candidate selection. Students gained firsthand experience in democratic participation, reinforcing fundamental civic values including Civic Duty, Responsible Decision-Making, and Active Ownership as engaged members of the electoral process. This experiential learning opportunity provided students with practical understanding of democratic principles and their role as responsible citizens.

The entire event exemplified student leadership excellence, from the meticulous planning and execution by the current Student Council to the enthusiastic participation of the school community. The seamless integration of traditional democratic processes with modern digital engagement created a comprehensive and meaningful electoral experience at Peicai Secondary School.

Based on Kouzes and Posner’s Leadership Challenge, student leaders (Student Councillors, CCA Leaders, Class Leaders and Peer Support Leaders) are developed to be competent, confident and caring leaders.

Under the mentorship of Teacher Advisors, student leaders hone their leadership, communication and organisational skills.

Opportunities include attending customised Leadership Workshops, Leadership Symposiums and the Peicai-Nanyang Junior College Student Leadership Collaboration.