Protest breaks out during the closing ceremony of the Kerala School Games; students blame police attack | Kerala News | School games in Kerala

Kochi: The closing ceremony of the Olympic Model Kerala School Games ended in disarray after protest broke out over the decision to award second place to GV Raja Sports School.

Following the announcement, students of Navamukunda HSS Thirunnavaya, Malappuram and Mar Basil, Ernakulam, staged a protest, expressing their disagreement over the results. The students staged a sit-in at the main venue, Maharaja’s College Ground. The athletes claimed they were ‘hit’ and ‘kicked’ by police.

The schools were divided into two divisions: General and Sports. In the General category, Ideal EHSS Kadakassery topped with 80 points, while Navamukunda HSS secured the second position with 44 points and Mar Basil third with 43 points. GV Raja Sports School from Thiruvananthapuram, which scored 55 points, claimed the first position in the Sports Hostel category.

In previous years, the prizes in these two categories were awarded in the same way. However, the inclusion of gyms in the general category was not communicated in advance, and it was only during the awards ceremony that GV Raja Sports School was announced as the second place winner, sparking the protests.

The decision to award second place to GV Raja Sports School pushed Navamukunda School, originally second, to third place, and Kothamangalam Mar Basil School, originally third, to fourth place. Teachers and parents of Mar Basil School pointed out that general schools, which face significant limitations compared to sports-oriented institutions, overcome these challenges to compete in the sports competitions.