For years, state vocational school a votes factory for headmaster

Photo: Repro

This fall, director of Tallinn Industrial Education Centre – as at numerous local elections before, in a row – again applied election propaganda to students at his school, making use of authority over teachers. Education ministry thinks that, even with the man’s violations known for years, a reprimand will do.

Two weeks ago, Postimees unearthed the story of how the Centre Party school director Paul Alekand, running for Tallinn city council, had private conversations, at his office, with students. In order to get their votes.

Soon after the article was published, Postimees was contacted by people earlier involved in the scheme. According to them, Mr Alekand shamelessly lied to the public when saying that this year’s school-campaign was the first and the last of its kind.

As proven by documents obtained by Postimees, things were otherwise: at least in 2009, students were being influences; and, at least starting 2011, education ministry was aware of this.

«Actually, he’s doing the advertising ever since he joined the party, in 2002,» claims Luule Õunmaa, a department head and teacher at the school in 1999–2010. Namely, Ms Õunmaa was one of the teachers, against her will involved in the Alekand scheme – yet refusing to play along. The time referred to by Ms Õunmaa was October 2008, prior elections.

Ms Õunmaa recalls that the system was simple. To begin with, Mr Alekand tasked the secretary of studies with finding out who, among the 1,900 students at the school, lived in his election district i.e. in Kristiine. Acquiring the list, copies were distributed to department heads, whose task it became to find the students in their classes and escort them into the headmaster’s office – during lessons.

The political talks happened at study time, no-one was ever approached at breaks, in corridors. Thus, it was ensured that the diligent students will be fetched from the classes, without unnecessary attention.

The papers show that, in 2009 for instance, the headmaster had 79 adult students in his potential electors list, with home addresses. Specifying in which classes these would be found.

The results of the campaign are shown by notes taken by Mr Alekand’s hand: a cross in front of the name means the young person has been talked to; a «V» means those who promised the director their vote. The list had been cut short where 12 youths had been to the office and at least five had promised their vote. Several dozens were underlined, waiting for their turn.

Olle Kitsing, a student at the school for metal cutting operator in 2009,  remembers that, once in his office, Mr Alekand applied no direct pressure – just talking about his vision for the school. However his belonging to city council would make the school better, Mr Kitsing had difficulty to understand.

«Finally, he asked if I had made my selection and if not, maybe it will be me. The talk took some five minutes. I told him nothing, kept answers to myself,» said Mr Kitsing, a businessman by now. Back then, he left the office with a mug with school logo, not thinking much of it all.

Nele Paldis, who studied for hairdresser, recalls how Mr Alekand fetched her, personally, from the hairdresser-study. «In the corridor, he started to talk about what all he’d do once in the city council. Like fixing the Nirgi Street next to the school,» remembers Ms Paldis. «He did ask if I would vote for him but I think I said no. For me this was repulsive – one shouldn’t do elections propaganda at school, not to adults even.»

The list reveals, however, that not all students were ready to hear Mr Alekand out. «Yes, they tried, but I told them at once I was IRL member and that was it,» a student Helje Raias, now owner of a hairdressers’, recalls. Behind her name, Mr Alekand has, indeed, written «IRL». As hopeless, a certain Vadim has been crossed out, regarding whom it was learnt he run in the Reform Party list.

Luule Õunmaa claims that before students ever were called in, the school staff came under pressure by headmaster. For her, campaign by Mr Alekand started long before the 2009 elections. «Once he learnt I lived in Kristiine, at every opportunity he reminded me to vote for him,» she said.

When Ms Õunmaa was supposed to start calling students into the headmaster office, that was the last drop in the cup: «I said I supported him but was not about to do election advertisements.» Pretty soon, relations with the director went downhill. «After seven months, I just left the school. At every opportunity, they tried to explain to me I was not loyal to the headmaster.»

For the time being, Ms Õunmaa kept it all to herself, fearing to the atmosphere at school. Still, in April 2011, she finally informed ministry of education.

Thereupon, then chancellor at ministry Kalle Küttis told Ms Õunmaa that ministry had asked Mr Alekand for explanations and would consider the information when assessing his job results. Even so, pursuant to Penal Code, infringements of election freedom was an offence, the ministry said, and the police would be handling the accusation.

Ms Õunmaa is surprised, therefore, at why the information never left the four walls of the ministry, Mr Alekand therefore able to do repeat action this fall.

After Postimees, at the end of October, covered this year’s school-campaign by Mr Alekand, the education ministry promised to investigate, acquiring testimonies from students invited to headmaster’s office.

By now, it is known that the investigation by ministry was limited, again, to a mere talk between leaders. «Vice chancellor Mart Laidmets held a conversation with Paul Alekand and issued to him a severe reprimand. The more so there had been earlier such signals to the ministry,» said the ministry press service. «Paul Alekand has managed the school well and in that we find no fault with him; even so, with further violations in management of the school, he may be dismissed.»

Sharp words yet easy measures by the ministry may indeed be explained by Mr Alekand, leading the school for 14 years, having done so much for the institution. Under his hand, the school has had over 150 million Estonian kroons worth of EU structural funds money invested into its real estate and equipment, over this past decade.

Vote catch

Support to Paul Alekand (Centre Party) in Kristiine, Tallinn:

•    in 2002 – 12 votes

•    in 2005 – 56 votes (got into city council as alternate member)

•    in 2009 – 72 votes

•    in 2013 – 99 votes