The Department of Education has cleared 29 appeals from Kozhikode district, requesting an opportunity to participate in the State School Arts Festival that begins at Kanhangad on Thursday.
Kozhikode Deputy Director of Education V.P. Mini said the department had received 263 appeals in various categories. However, the Director of Public Instruction had issued a circular earlier to clear only 10% of the total appeals in each district.
“We have cleared a maximum of one appeal per event, and have given priority to second prize winners in each event. It is impossible to permit appeals in every event,” she said. The cleared appeals are mostly in dance events such as Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Ottanthullal, Koodiyattam, Margamkali, Thiruvathira and folk dance, while there were also appeals for other popular stage events such as drama and mimicry. However, many appeals for non-stage events such as versification and essay writing too have been cleared.“The appeals have been cleared after watching the footage of the disputed events, marks secured by each student and the genuineness of the appeal,” said Ms. Mini.
The students whose appeals had been rejected were free to approach the court, Lokayukta or the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights with their pleas and could participate in the State-level festival if their appeals were cleared by one of the agencies, she added.
