THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Unauthorised collection of funds from students below Class VIII for various stages of the school arts festival may soon be a thing of the past if a directive of the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights is strictly implemented.
The Commission has directed that no money be collected from students of Classes I to VIII or their parents in the name of the arts festival, while ordering a series of measures to make its conduct more transparent, accountable and inclusive.
A full bench comprising Commission chairperson K V Manoj Kumar, whose term ended recently, and members B Mohankumar, K K Shaju and Dr F Wilson issued the directions while considering complaints related to the conduct of the School Arts Festival.
The Commission said it had noticed widespread collection of money from the school to state levels and directed authorities to prevent such practices.
In a major transparency measure, marks awarded to individual contestants and groups should be displayed on stage through a scrolling electronic display. The names, educational qualifications and areas of expertise of judges should also be displayed on screens from the sub-district to state levels.
The Commission directed authorities to frame clear criteria for selecting judges and consider qualified judges from the Cultural Affairs Department panel. Judges for sub-district and revenue district competitions should be selected only from panels approved by the respective Deputy Director of Education and Director of General Education.
Revenue district competitions should have judges from other districts and sub-district competitions judges from other sub-districts.
Judges should remain in their designated seats throughout competitions and should not communicate with fellow judges through mobile phones, tablets, smartwatches or other electronic devices until their duty is completed.
The appeal process should also be made more transparent. Appeal committee decisions should be issued within three days and clearly state the reasons. During an appeal, the contestant’s performance should be compared on video with that of the child who secured first place. Contestants should be given sufficient time to approach courts, if required.
The Commission also directed authorities to identify events in which children with disabilities can participate and provide suitable facilities.
There should be a minimum gap of 10 days between sub-district and district-level competitions and 15 days between district and state-level events. Competition venues should obtain fitness certificates from the Public Works Department.
The Director of General Education, State Police Chief and Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department have been directed to implement the recommendations for the 2026-27 arts festival. The Commission also ordered revision of the Arts Festival manual with the participation of experts in the respective fields..
Suggestions
No money should be collected from students of Classes I-VIII or their parents
Marks must be displayed on stage through a scrolling electronic display
Judges’ credentials must appear on competition screens
Appeals must be decided within three days & and clearly state
the reason
Competition venues need mandatory PWD fitness certificates
