Plea to regulate poster use in government schools during elections in Coimbatore

Concerns have been raised over recurring damage to classrooms in government schools that are used as polling stations, with a petition submitted to District Election Officer Pavankumar G. Giriyappanavar seeking safeguards.

In the petition, Palli Kalvi Padhukaapu Iyakkam Coimbatore region coordinator S. Chandrasekar said classrooms developed with funds from government support, school management committees, private firms and individuals are being damaged due to posters pasted on walls, doors and other surfaces using adhesive materials. Removal of these posters after polling leads to peeled paint and damaged surfaces, and the issue recurs during every election, he said.

He noted that private schools avoid such damage by using display boards and deploying staff for immediate cleaning, while in government schools, headmasters are deputed for election duty from the first day, leaving little scope to monitor school property.

He urged that election officers identify designated spaces within campuses and classrooms for pasting posters in advance, inform headmasters about poster size, and mark areas that need protection. He also called for joint monitoring by officials from the School Education Department, election authorities and local bodies, with online documentation of the process.

The petition further stated that repeated repairs place a financial burden on government schools and leave students to use damaged classrooms after polling. It called for a clear accountability mechanism and restoration of classrooms within a fixed timeframe.