KHM Higher Secondary School at Alathiyur, near Tirur, where the State School Work Experience Fest is under way, witnessed protests from parents and teachers on Friday as well.
While the protest on Thursday was against alleged neglect on the part of the authorities towards special children, the protest on Friday was over the delay in judging the economic food items made by higher secondary students.
The food-making competition began at 10.15 a.m. and closed at 1.15 p.m., but the participants were waiting for the evaluation even at 5.30 p.m.
They feared that most of the food items would have turned stale due to continuous exposure to sunlight.
Some of the participants were given slots outside the school building. P. Pratibha, a Plus-Two student of TD Higher Secondary School, Alappuzha, spent the whole day without a roof. The 56 food items she made looked dry and parched at 5 p.m. even as she waited cheerfully for the final evaluation.
O. Joseph, a parent from Cherai, Kochi, said the food items made by students might have turned toxic as they were kept uncovered for hours. “This competition is not like other items. The food items prepared by the students should be judged as soon as possible,” Mr. Joseph said.
Arun Jose of Kothamangalam and M. Gangadharan of Kasaragod too shared the same view. “We have been made to wait for hours for no reason. It shows the inefficiency of the organisers,” they said.
The organisers, however, said that an increase in the number of participants and the food items they had prepared delayed the evaluation.
There were 34 contestants each in both high school and higher secondary sections.
The judges too said increase in the number of food items had caused the delay. According to the Work Experience Fest manual, participants had been advised to make five to 10 food items of good economic and nutritional value. Most participants made many more food items than recommended.
