There has been a lot of speculation about the possible changes in the manual of the State School Arts Festival ever since the curtains came down on its last edition in Kannur early this year.
One of the biggest concerns of students and their parents was about the grace marks: there were reports of doing away with them completely.
The manual committee has proposed in the draft that the grace marks need not be added to the aggregate marks of the public examinations, but, according to sources, the status quo is likely to be maintained at the next edition of the festival, to be held in Thrissur.
“It is not just for the winners at the arts festival that the grace marks are awarded, as students proficient in other extracurricular activities also are similarly rewarded, so a separate committee has to look into the whole issue,” a senior government official told The Hindu on Wednesday. “Besides, the overall success rate at a public examinations like the SSLC might also be affected if there are no grace marks.”
Negative marks
The source added that no negative marks would be given to the contestants at a dance competition for ‘overdressing’, contrary to media reports. “The suggestion is to discourage students from wearing gaudy ornaments that are not required,” he said. “The government wants to ensure that even financially backward students could compete in the glamorous events.”
There was no plan to add a viva voce in the dance and music competitions either, the source said. At an initial meeting held in Thiruvananthapuram a few months ago to discuss the changes in the manual, some subject experts had argued that the knowledge of a contestant had to be tested in an oral examination by the judges after a performance.
“We found that suggestion to be extremely impractical,” the source explained. “The government does not want to take the sheen off the festival. But, we want to make it more inclusive.”