The gloomy weather notwithstanding, 50 children from Jaly Home wore their brightest smiles as they posed for photographs and displayed their ‘dosti’ bands celebrating Children’s Day.
A couple of them even got to tie one on Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, who kick-started a week-long Childline Se Dosti campaign here, which is being held across India.
The Childline Se Dosti campaign intends to make ordinary citizens stakeholders in Childline and acquaint people with child rights and protection, according to its website.
It is observed during the week between Children’s Day and the International Day for Prevention of Child Abuse falling on November 19.
Organisers have lined up several events for the week ahead. On Saturday, Childline will conduct a doll procession on Anna Salai near the old bus stand.
On Sunday, a boat docked near the Promenade seafront will display the message of the Childline campaign and Childline films screened near Gandhi Thidal on Beach Road.
Prizes for schoolchildrenIt was time for celebrations at the Children’s Day programme conducted by the Directorate of School Education on Friday, where prizes of Rs. 50,000, Rs. 30,000 and Rs. 20,000 were distributed to 41 toppers of the State Board class X (SSLC) and Higher Secondary School examination.
Sixteen students also took home the State Best Child Award in Creativity with a cash prize of Rs. 5,000. The competition had students participating from all the regions of the Union Territory in various categories such as dance, music, arts and crafts, drawing, instrumental music, innovative science and creative writing.
LaptopsThe loudest cheers were reserved for the Chief Minister’s announcement that laptops would be distributed to school students in January.
Using the occasion to rebut AIADMK leader A. Anbalagan’s charge that enrolment in government schools was falling, Mr. Rangasamy said that if there were higher enrolments in private schools, it only indicated the financial well-being of people in Puducherry.
The government was committed to providing good education to all children, studying in government or private schools.
The political ripostes apart, school students had a fun day with cultural events marking the celebrations at programmes by the Directorate of School Education and the Department of Women and Child Development.
The day was capped off with the screening of the popular children’s film, ‘Thanga Meengal,’ at Muruga Theatre where the curtain went up on the Indian Panorama Film Festival 2014.
Children’s Day celebration by various organisations is set to continue into the weekend with a couple of competitions, including a State-level painting competition by the Renewable Energy Agency Puducherry (REAP) on energy conservation on Saturday.
