ALAPPUZHA: In the backdrop of the floods which lashed the state in August, the organisers of the 59th State School Art Festival have decided to keep the fest a low-key affair. The event will be managed with around Rs 40 to Rs 45 lakh, said Jessy Joseph, addition director, Education Department “The government and the Education Department are organising the event mainly through sponsorships.
A total of 28 venues have been arranged for the competitions,” Jessy said. Media committee convener S Manoj said the department got a majority of the resources through sponsorships. “Many organisations came forward to support the government and department. Even the pens, which are to be distributed to judges and reporters, are sponsored,” he said. Earlier, the stages were constructed in modern settings, however, this time it is plain.
Kerala School Teachers Association (KSTA) is sponsoring the food and steel plates collected from temples to avoid the use of banana leaf for serving the meal and Kudumbashree workers will serve boiled drinking water, said one of the organisers.