Kids ‘forced’ to carry bricks, garbage to set up polling booths on school premises

Tribune News Service

Kulwinder Sandhu

Gurugram, May 24

Just 24 hours before polling, students of Shaheed Bharat Singh Yadav Government Elementary School, Dhundahera in Gurugram, were ‘forced’ to carry solid waste (garbage) and bricks outside the school as a clean-up exercise to establish two polling booths on the school premises on Friday morning.

Will issue notice to principal

I will issue a notice to the school principal and seek an explanation from her. Further action will be taken accordingly. — Mani Ram, District Education Officer (elementary education)

Not aware, will look into it

I am unaware of the incident. I will talk to my staff members and the children on Monday and look into it. Some students had been roped in as part of the systematic voters’ education and electoral participation programme and these students might have volunteered to clean the school. — Anita Arora, Principal of the school

Surprised to see kids carrying bricks

Rajesh Gera, president of the Residents Welfare Association of Sector 21, Dhundahera, said he was surprised to see kids in uniform carrying garbage and bricks to clean the school for housing two polling booths.

As soon as the school opened in the morning, a few students of classes VI, VII and VIII wearing uniform brought out garbage in the bins and threw it on the roadside along the wall of the school. The students said they were called to the school on Friday but no classes were taken by the teachers. Instead, they were asked to clean the school premises.

A student of Class VIII said that a group of students were asked by the principal to carry hundreds of bricks from the school premises and throw it out on the roadside.

While another group was asked to clean the school and throw all garbage outside the school. The garbage was also dumped along the roadside adjoining the boundary wall of the school.

Another student of Class VII said they were also forced to paint the walls of the school’ a couple of days ago.

“We have also fixed ceiling fans on the hooks of the roof,” said another student.

The students did not hesitate to tell the truth when a video was made and photographs clicked while they were carrying the garbage bins. Rajesh Gera, president of the Residents Welfare Association of Sector 21, Dhundahera, said he was surprised to see the children in uniform carrying garbage and bricks to clean the school for housing two polling booths.

He alleged, “This incident actually shows thst the school authorities intentionally made the children carry garbage and bricks rather than taking classes”. He said the schools had sweepers who could have cleaned the school while some labourers could have been hired for carrying the bricks.

The Principal of the school, Anita Arora, told The Tribune that she was unaware of the incident. “I will talk to my staff members and the children on Monday and look in to it,” she said.

At the same time she claimed that some students had been roped in as part of the systematic voters’ education and electoral participation (SVEEP) programme and these students might have volunteered to clean the school. The district administration has asked the school students to motivate their parents to vote in the Lok Sabha polls.

When contacted, Mani Ram District Education Officer (elementary education) said, “I will issue a notice to the school principal and seek an explanation from her. Further action will be taken accordingly,” he said.

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