A parent has alleged that school students were made to participate in an examination linked to the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) without proper disclosure to parents and that children were subsequently issued certificates carrying the party’s name and branding.
Speaking to the media, the father of a student studying in Class 12 at Karnataka Sangha School in T. Nagar said that information regarding an examination was circulated on June 13. He stated that he was unaware of the nature of the programme and assumed it was a regular academic activity after seeing the sample question paper provided to students.
According to him, he personally dropped his child at school on the day of the examination. However, when he later returned to pick up the child, he was informed that the examination was not being conducted on the school premises but at another venue, Pachaiyappa’s College.
The parent said he questioned a teacher regarding the programme and showed the sample question paper that had been distributed. He claimed that the question paper carried a circular logo containing the letters “TVK” and that when he sought clarification about it, the teachers allegedly told him they were unaware of the details.
He further stated that after making additional enquiries at the school, he was provided with a contact number of the HM and asked to speak to them. According to the parent, the HM apologised during the conversation and allegedly told him that the school had permitted participation after being informed that it was a government function. The parent claimed to possess an audio recording of the conversation.
Questioning how the programme had been presented to schools, the father asked whether school authorities had failed to notice the TVK logo on the sample question paper or whether information regarding the programme had been conveyed to them in a different manner.
The parent said he had sent his child in school uniform believing it to be a school-related event. However, after the examination, the child allegedly received a certificate issued in the name of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.
He claimed that the certificate did not indicate that it was a government programme and instead explicitly mentioned TVK. According to him, if the intention had been to conduct a general knowledge examination for students, it could have been organised either as a government programme or openly as a party event without involving schools in the manner alleged.
The father also raised questions over the participation of Assembly Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar in the programme, stating that photographs of the Speaker attending the event had been circulated publicly.
Expressing concern over what he described as the political branding of a student event, the parent questioned whether children were being exposed to party propaganda through such programmes. He alleged that medals, certificates and other materials distributed to students prominently carried the TVK name and symbol.
The father stated that his objection was not limited to his own child but extended to all students who had participated in the event. He said he was speaking out on behalf of hundreds of children and argued that political parties should not use school students for partisan activities.
He further claimed that when he raised objections, those involved apologised and maintained that the programme had been presented to schools as a government-related function.
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