As election season approaches, tensions are rising in unaided schools, where a large number of teachers have been called for poll duty training. Many educators have received show-cause notices, and some even face FIRs from the district collector’s office, for skipping or refusing to attend these mandatory sessions. Several schools in the suburbs have voiced concerns over the heavy requisitioning of their staff for election duty.

Administrators highlighted the strain election duty places on their institutions ahead of the Diwali break. One of the more notable cases is the Children’s Academy group, which operates three schools in the western suburbs. Of their 450-plus teaching staff, more than 350 have been summoned for election duty.