The education department has asked the district magistrates to submit a list of schools and colleges that have been damaged in the "process of the Bengal panchayat elections”, which were marked by large-scale violence, an official said.

The district magistrates have been asked to mention the “extent of damage” after a thorough assessment and take steps for the “restoration of damage”.

Many schools have been so badly affected that the resumption of classes has posed a challenge, said an official of the department. The prolonged deployment of central forces in schools has also led to cancellation of classes, leaving teachers struggling to finish the syllabus before exams that are to begin in two weeks.

A division bench of Calcutta High Court headed by the chief justice on Wednesday ordered the state government to take steps for repairing the schools that have been damaged in election-related violence.

A communication to the district magistrates was sent from the commissioner of school education on Thursday, a day after the court order.

In the format, the DMs have been told to mention the “name of the school/ college under a block/ municipality which suffered damage during election process”, “details of usage of premises of school/ college for the purpose of election e.g. polling booth, counting centre etc”, “school/ college-wise details of the amount of damage assessed” and “school/ college-wise detail action taken for the restoration of damage”.

“The court told the state government to take steps for repairing the schools immediately so classes can be held. We have passed on necessary directions to the district magistrates so they can take adequate steps,” an education department official said.

An official working in the office of a district inspector of schools said some of the schools where polls were held witnessed fights among workers of political parties, which led to the vandalism of furniture

“Usually, classes resume within a day or two of the polls. But in these schools, classes could not be started even after a week,” the official said.

Calcutta High Court passed the order in response to a PIL petition related to the poll violence.

Swapan Mandal of the Bengal Teachers and Employees Association said: “It is a matter of regret that the department has to pass such a directive. If damage to properties cannot be prevented, then the department should not allow the state election commission to requisition school buildings. Schools were already struggling to complete the syllabus because of a shortage of teachers. Now, classes cannot be held because of poll-related violence.”

Copies of the communication have also been sent to the panchayat and rural development department so they can use their untapped funds for the restoration work.

Central forces

Over 700 schools in rural Bengal have had to face prolonged closure because central forces have been stationed there for over two weeks now. Teachers are atb their wits end about finishing the syllabus for students of Classes VI to X who will have to appear for summative assesment from August 1 to August 9.

The task has become even more challenging for teachers after a division bench of Calcutta High Court earlier this week extended the stay of the central forces by another 10 days after the completion of the poll process in view of the prevailing situation in Bengal, which continues to witness large-scale violence and deaths related to the rural polls.

As the state election commission is yet to announce the closure of the poll process, the duration of the stay of the central forces remain uncertain.

Teachers alleged that schools were closed on May 2 for the summer vacation and barely had classes resumed that district administrations requisitioned schools to accommodate central forces.

Central forces began stationing themselves at schools from June 28, but classes had to be suspended even before that to start preparations.

Teaches said students in rural schools depend entirely on classroom teaching to prepare for exams.

Partha Pratim Chakraborty, the headmaster of Dhanicha High School in Nadia’s Chakdaha that has over 1,500 students, said: “Classes resumed on June 15 after the summer vacation. But the local administration took over our campus on June 24, leading to the suspension of classes. Teaching would have had to come to a halt as desks had to be shifted to clear rooms. Nevertheless, we tried to continue classes by making seating arrangements on the floor using tarpaulins. But that too had to be suspended from June 30 when the BSF teams arrived.

“Now the administration has told us to allow accommodation for a longer period. I have appealed to the BDO of Chakdaha to vacate the campus so that classes can be resumed immediately for the sake of the students. But we are yet to get a response. I don’t know how we will complete the syllabus for the summative assessment of students from Classes VI to X.”

Several other headmasters, who refused to be identified, have demanded that the board reschedule the summative assessment so that the syllabus for the test can be finished.

"In the run-up to the polls, classes had to be suspended on several occasions due to training of polling personnel and to turn campuses into distribution and receiving centres for poll materials, apart from accommodating central force personnel," said the headmaster of a school in East Burdwan.

The headmaster of a school in South 24-Parganas said: “Students in the rural areas are the worst sufferers. Most students belong to weaker sections of society and cannot afford private tuition. They largely depend on class teaching. So if classes are suspended for long and examinations are not held according to the schedule, these students will be badly affected.”

Bidhan Chandra Majumdar, a maths teacher at Jirat Colony High School in Hooghly, said: “As we will not be able to resume classes before July 24, completing the course for the summative assessment before August looks impossible."

Another teacher of the Jirat school alleged that the central forces had damaged school furniture. "When we visited the campus a few days ago, we found that the jawans had dismantled the desk legs to use them as makeshift beds," the teacher added.