Thiruvananthapuram: Even as the 62nd Kerala School Kalolsavam is set to begin in Kollam on January 4 (Thursday), A-grade winners from the last two editions are yet to receive their one-time scholarship.
According to reports, several participants who secured A grades in the last edition held in Kozhikode and the one before that in Kasaragod (2019) have yet to receive their scholarship amounts of Rs 1,000.
The scholarship was established in 2017 when the manual of the festival was revised. Recently, Finance Minister KN Balagopal and General Education Minister V Sivankutty said the government has plans to increase the scholarship amount.
Meanwhile, parents of A-grade winners who are yet to receive the scholarship have demanded that the outstanding arrears be settled without delay.
During the festival, bank account details of A-grade winners are collected, and later, students are contacted to verify the provided information.
The Kalolsavam, which is considered the biggest school-level arts festival in Asia, has at least 239 disciplines. In addition to the first-place winners from 14 districts, some participants gain entry through appeals and court orders to compete in the disciplines at the Kalolsavam. The majority of these participants achieve A-grade.