It is a tradition in many schools to have a morning assembly before regular work begins, though I?m told that a few schools don?t deem it necessary.

A morning assembly is a good opportunity to get students, staff and management together. Students meet their classmates and learn to line up in discipline to listen attentively to the rector?s message or whatever information he/she may have to impart.

Announcements are made not only for the day but possibly for the week: students are briefly informed of on-going or forthcoming activities. A small group of students may have participated in an activity organised by a ministry, municipality or NGO and they may have won a prize. The announcement of the winners is a way of making everyone feel they?re an integral part of the school. The winning team may feel proud of being presented to fellow students who, in turn, may feel happy to note that the college is making a name for itself or consolidating its reputation.

Communication

Students are made aware of new decisions. They may be the purchase of new equipment for the laboratory, additional computers or the introduction of a new subject, a teacher may be leaving, another one may be joining the school and so on.

The morning assembly is indeed an exercise in communication. The very fact that students are invited to the assembly makes them feel that the administration cares for them. This tends to reinforce their sense of belonging to the school.

Moreover, it?s an appropriate moment to ponder on the thought of the day. Very often a quotation, saying or proverb is brought unobtrusively into a speech to give students something worthwhile to reflect upon. It?s the aim of the school to change students ? to make them adopt positive attitudes, to fight prejudices and develop open-mindedness, to encourage them to be strong individuals emotionally, mentally, psychologically and morally. If a quotation, in its own way, can do the trick, so much the better.

It may be impossible to meet students individually to talk about, let?s say, indiscipline. There may be sufficient things to say about it and the morning assembly is the time to raise the point. What?s the stand of the school on drugs, cigarettes or alcohol on the premises? Students should know this clearly just as they need to know about the sanctions involved. Thus communication can to a large extent defuse any critical situation.

The morning assembly is generally short but it remains a powerful tool. Tactfully handled, it can be a warming-up for the day. The right words, the right tone, the right message, and everybody feels fine.

Encourage listening

It?s also a training ground for listening. We?re normally so taken up with our own selves that we hardly listen to others. We give the impression we?re interested when, in reality, we?re not. The situation becomes absurd. However, in the assembly, students are called upon to observe silence when they?re addressed from the stage. This underlines the necessity to conform to regulations and to good manners. Besides, listening is one skill one needs to develop fully because it allows us to forge mature and long-standing relationships.

Praying together

The highlight in many schools is prayer. In fact, what can be more fulfilling than beginning the day with a prayer from the heart? It?s a time when you travel deep within yourself; a time to ask God to give you the courage to surmount the hurdles ? there?s never a day without one ? that may come your way. It?s time to thank God for being lucky enough to be in a school with supportive, well-meaning adults. Thousands of children in the world aren?t as lucky as you are. And a prayer confirms that you?re not alone, after all, in this journey of life.

A prayer makes you feel warm. The sharing of this warmth is in itself a miracle. In our most difficult moments, we look for human warmth to survive. When you?re confident you can rely on the people around you, you feel that school day won?t be meaningless.

Sometimes it?s in the morning assembly that a school holiday is announced almost out of the blue. The excitement tells you that school can be a place brimming with happiness too. Shortly after the assembly, a sudden buzz follows the silence ? students exchanging interesting anecdotes, sharing jokes, playing tricks, pulling each other?s legs. Spinning fun-filled tales. Such banter has its place considering the serious academic business lying ahead.

When we were in primary school years back, we used to queue up in the yard as soon as the bell rang. We were very keen on pleasing and satisfying our teachers by behaving ourselves as best as we could. We hoped that, by showing ourselves in a good light first thing in the morning, the teacher would forgive us our lessons not learnt, our homework not done or badly done. The assembly was also a dreaded moment because the teachers would walk down the queues to check that our nails were properly cut and clean enough, our heads were free from lice and our shoes polished. It?s here that we learned two of our greatest lessons in life, namely that cleanliness is next to godliness, and the necessity of showing absolute respect for our elders.

Suresh RAMPHUL