School annual events should not be held on working days: child rights panel

School annual day programmes should not be held on working days, the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has said.

Acting on a petition from a resident of Thottada in Kannur, the commission comprising chairperson K.V. Manoj Kumar directed the Director of General Education (DGE) to issue orders that programmes should be held during the daytime on Saturdays and Sundays and should be finished by 9.30 p.m.

Extracurricular activities should not be held in a manner that disrupted classes or other school activities. All school authorities should be instructed that non-governmental agencies, clubs, and other organisations should conduct their programmes only on holidays, the commission said.

‘Exhausted’

The petitioner, a retired teacher, had complained that school annual day programmes that were held in the months of March and April started around 6 p.m. and ended late in the night. Students taking part in these programmes had to put on costumes and make-up early and go without food or water for hours, ending up exhausted. This was also the time Muslims observed a fast, he said, seeking directions for the programmes to be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The commission observed that it was the children’s right to engage in arts and sports along with academics. Each school should have an environment that encouraged their participation in such activities without any pressure or hurdle. Even arts and sports competitions should become stress-free experiences for students.