The Guardian’s Forum of Bethune Collegiate School has written to the chief election commissioner about central forces taking possession of the school premises. The situation is disrupting the education of students, the guardians wrote.
The central forces entered the school on Sunday night, much earlier than what is the usual schedule for an election season.
The guardian’s forum has written: “In view of the above (the central force taking possession), the school shall have to remain closed once again for a considerable period.”
This will come in the way of completion of the syllabus, the letter said.
“How will these children respect the elections if they grow up witnessing the disruption it causes to their education?” it asked.
Malancha Majumdar, a member of the forum, said as the central forces have occupied several rooms of the government school building in north Kolkata, the studies of children in Classes I to VIII is getting hampered.
“The school authorities are holding classes twice a week following the space crunch. How will the syllabus be completed? The central forces usually stay till the completion of vote counting. So the armed paramilitary force will occupy the school till late May,” she said.
“The forces have come much earlier this time. This will severely hamper the teaching-learning process. These students did not learn anything for two years because of the pandemic-induced closure of schools.”
Classes at the secondary level have not been hampered, she said.
The Telegraph reported on Saturday that the early arrival of central forces has left many schools in Kolkata and its surroundings worried about classes and exams.
Sabari Bhattacharya, the teacher-in-charge of the school, had said last week that they were planning to hold classes on alternate days at the primary level.
The guardians wrote that the school was closed for board exams for several days.
The letter said: “Those who are in Classes I-VIII will only get two working days in a week. We want the normal functioning of the school”.
“Also a gentle reminder that these children have missed school for more than two years due to Covid. Thus we request you to host the central force in some other place,” it said.
A copy of the letter was sent to the chief electoral officer’s office in Bengal and
education minister Bratya Basu.
A senior official of the chief electoral officer’s office said: “If the chief election commissioner redirects the application to us, we will request the local authority to find a suitable place and the force can be shifted to that place.”
