CHENNAI: The Lok Sabha elections have wound up in Tamil Nadu and the politicians have gone into hibernation, but the whole process has left an indelible mark of disarray at government schools that were used as polling booths across the city. In the once colourful and homey classrooms, the walls now bear notices pasted using strong adhesives, the benches and shelves are damaged, and the floors are littered with garbage.
Teachers and educationists said this is what the schools undergo every election season, forcing them to spend huge sums to restore the ambience to former state. “Representations have been repeatedly made to the school education department and the Election Commission of India, seeking measures to ensure that the schools don’t bear the brunt of the messy poll process,” they added.
Palli Kalvi Pathukappu Iyyakkam had written to the authorities detailing the issue ahead of this election season as well. All the requests went in vain. When the teachers and school management committee members visited the schools after the polls, they were welcomed by food waste and restaurant packets strewn around, resulting in a rotten smell permeating the campuses. The election signage and torn notices flooded the classrooms.
“It took years for us to gather donations and beautify the school premises. All of this got ruined in a matter of just a few days. Even our repeated request to spare one room in each school, so that we can safely store school materials in that room and lock it up, was ignored by the ECI,” they added. Now, the teachers and headmasters have to approach various government departments seeking funds or appeal for donations to take up repair work on the premises.
Krishnaveni, the HM of Chennai Primary School in Mogappair, said, “The shelves in our newbuilding have been damaged. Since ours is a primary school, we have small desks for the children. Various donors had sponsored them. All of the rooms were used by the election staff and no room was spared for the safekeeping of desks. They had disconnected the CCTV cameras too, and it will cost us at least `10,000 to restore the cameras alone.”
The stakeholders have urged the ECI to chalk out a system to ensure minimum damages to schools and also allocate separate funds to initiate repair works. “In future, the school education department should urge the ECI to refrain from pasting notices to the walls. School education committee members should be appointed as observers during the polling to ensure that the schools don’t bear the brunt,” said Thenkanal Isaimozhi of Palli Kalvi Pathukappu Iyyakkam.