COIMBATORE: Headmasters of government schools in Coimbatore want the election department to remove election-related posters pasted on buildings.
Several posters on candidate details, election awareness pamphlets, and polling station numbers are affixed on walls, some even covering cartoons drawn there for the enjoyment of children.
A headmaster of a primary school in Thondamuthur block told TNIE that headmasters and educationists had long demanded that the Election Commission should not paste posters on school walls.
He recalled that many headmasters and teachers had painstakingly turned those walls into beautiful displays by painting and drawing cartoons that children would like, often securing sponsorships from local firms and private companies.
He alleged that the Election Commission ignored their demands on alternative measures.
According to sources, the Election Department recently directed local bodies to remove posters and clean school campuses after the polling day. However, local bodies have yet to begin work at most schools in Coimbatore.
When TNIE visited the Kaliyannapudur Primary School in Thondamuthur constituency on Friday, cleaning work had not yet begun, and several identical posters could still be seen pasted on freshly painted walls.
When TNIE visited Kamaraj Colony near Puliyakulam in the South constituency, posters had been pasted over the cartoon drawings at the anganwadi centre.
S Chandrasekar, a functionary of the Palli Kalvi Paathukappu Iyakkam, questioned why the Election Commission can't make alternative arrangements even in the digital era.
He pointed out that teachers try to remove posters, but cannot remove them fully, leaving half-torn remnants on the walls.
He demanded that the Election Commission take steps to remove all posters from the walls and clean the schools immediately.
A senior officer from the election department said he gave necessary instructions to local bodies to remove posters and clean the schools.