COIMBATORE: Disabled teachers in Coimbatore district who have been assigned election duties in violation of Election Commission directions are desperately seeking to annul the postings. Around 150 disabled teachers are affected, said a functionary of their statewide association. The disabled teachers alleged that election department officials in Coimbatore assigned them duties out of sheer apathy.
A 100% visually impaired graduate teacher at a government school in Pollachi told TNIE, “When the headmaster gave the election duty form, I told him that ECI had granted exemption to persons with disabilities.
“Ignoring my plea, the headmaster said top officials in the district election department had instructed that election duty forms be collected from all teachers. Accordingly, the headmaster forwarded my form to the election department. Now, officials have assigned me the duty of presiding officer,” he lamented.
“How can I do the role of a presiding officer who is responsible for managing polling stations, ensuring voting procedures are properly followed, when I am totally visually impaired?” he questioned. He had attended the election training for two days and had requested the officer during the session to cancel his election duty. He has been waiting for a response since then.
A female teacher in the Sulur block told TNIE that she has a 60% disability and cannot walk properly.
“I cannot travel anywhere easily and depend on my husband’s support. I have been assigned duty as Polling Officer-III even though I told the headmaster not to submit election duty forms. Now I am trying to cancel the election duty order,” she said.
Election duties have been assigned to around 159 disabled teachers working in the school education department, said a functionary of the Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently Abled and Caregivers (TARATDAC), who did not wish to be named.
“Such duties are being allocated to differently-abled teachers in the school education department, but not in other departments in Coimbatore ,” he said, adding “when teachers raise the issue, returning officers ask them to go to the collectorate and meet the officials.”
An educational officer in Coimbatore told TNIE that top officers in the election department force them to collect and submit forms for election duty of all teachers.
Collector Pavankumar G Giriyappanavar told TNIE, “We will review all cases and necessary steps are being taken for their exemption as per ECI instructions.”