Heads of several corporation schools in the city said that the Coimbatore Corporation has taken efforts in cleaning classrooms used as booths on polling day. However, damage caused to walls due to the use of strong adhesives to stick posters is yet to be addressed.
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S. Vigneshwari, Headmistress of a corporation school at Kavundampalayam, said that during the previous elections the school’s efforts often seemed wasted, but this time was different. “The day after polling, the school premises were promptly cleaned,” she said. Additional fans and lights have been installed in the classrooms, in a departure from past practices where temporary fixtures were removed after election day. She also said that the Corporation workers, who were responsible for cleaning the premises, also arranged the benches.
However, at St. Thomas Higher Secondary School in K. K. Pudur, teachers have raised concerns about the widespread issue of election posters pasted across the school premises. These posters are often affixed with all-purpose flour, which damages the paint when removed.
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Jeyachandran, a teacher at a government school, said that in the absence of conservancy workers, the teaching and non-teaching staff were solely responsible for cleaning the premises.
At present, 80 schools have formed a WhatsApp group sharing concerns regarding the condition of schools post election.
“During election training, officials were asked to keep the premises of schools clean. In case complaints are received from schools, we will take measures for special clean-up,” said P. Suresh, Assistant Returning Officer (ARO), Coimbatore district.