Thiruvananthapuram: The Keralam child rights panel has directed that the marks awarded by judges to contestants and groups at school arts festival competitions be displayed on electronic screens on the stage to ensure greater transparency in the judging process.

The State Commission for Protection of Child Rights also directed authorities not to collect money from students of Classes 1 to 8 or their parents in the name of the school arts festival, according to a statement on Thursday.

The directions were issued by a full bench of the Commission comprising Chairperson K V Manoj Kumar and members B Mohankumar, K K Shaju and Dr F Wilson on complaints related to the conduct of school Kalolsavam (arts festival).

The Commission said it had noticed widespread collection of money in the conduct of the festival from the school level to the state level.

It directed that the Kalolsavam manual be revised by including people with expertise in the field.

The names and mobile phone numbers of programme convenors and committee members should be displayed at venues so that contestants and the public can easily access them, the commission said.

It also directed authorities to make suitable arrangements for children with disabilities by identifying events in which they can participate and providing accessible classrooms and other facilities.

The commission said eligible judges from the panel of the Cultural Affairs Department should also be considered while appointing judges.

Criteria should be framed for selecting judges, and their names and their educational qualifications, and expertise should be displayed on screens during competitions from the sub-district to state levels, it said.

It also directed that judges of various competition events should remain in their allotted seats throughout the event and should not move away or sit together while judging.

Judges should not communicate with one another or use electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets and smart watches for any form of e-communication until they complete their duty, it said.

On appeals, the commission said orders should be issued within three days of the competition, and the reasons for the decisions should be clearly stated.

The appeal committee should show contestants the video of their performance to help them understand the mistakes and compare the performance of the contestant who filed the appeal with that of the first-prize winner using video recordings, it said.

Contestants should also be given sufficient time to approach courts, if necessary, against an appeal committee order.

The commission directed that there should be a gap of at least 10 days between sub-district and district-level competitions and at least 15 days between district and state-level competitions.

It also ordered that venues used for artistic performances should obtain fitness certificates from the Public Works Department to ensure safety.

The commission directed the Director of General Education, State Police Chief and Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department, among others, to take steps to implement these directions during the 2026-27 school Kalolsavam.

This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.