CHENNAI: The repeated incidents of TVK cadres venturing into the government school premises across the state have irked parents, who had urged the government to intervene and officials of the school education department to take prompt action.
But, despite repeated incidents being reported in the media and even after complaints filed by parents, the Minister for School Education, Tamil Development, Information, and Publicity, A Rajmohan, have not acted, allege stakeholders.
As per sources, TVK cadres ventured into an elementary school in Chengalpattu and Tiruttani on Monday and made reels for social media with the students. The teachers were forced to participate and obey the cadres during class hours.
“Such incidents are becoming rampant day-by-day. Also, most schools do not have a watchman to prevent entry of any sort. But if a political party in government continues to indulge in such activities, the department and minister must promptly act, instead of just issuing warnings,” said a parent of a Class 7 student and a member of the School Management Committee (SMC) in Chennai.
Speaking to DT Next, a government school teacher in Nagapattinam said, "It is likely that the TVK cadres have visited almost all schools, both government and private, on various occasions. On CM Vijay’s birthday, a set of cadres visited our middle school to distribute chocolates. And teachers across different districts have also reported the same.”
On the other hand, child rights activists had placed a set of recommendations to the department to avoid such incidents. Suggestions include; issuing guidelines prohibiting the use of schools for political publicity, personality-centred celebrations, partisan campaigns, or similar activities unrelated to children's education and well-being, reinforcing the principle that schools must remain safe, inclusive, politically neutral, and child-centred spaces dedicated solely to education.