The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Tension at spelling bee contest

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Monday, Feb 04, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Tension at spelling bee contest

Staff Reporter

Parents manhandle organiser’s representatives; entry fee to be returned

— Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

ANGRY REACTION: Parents and students gather outside the venue of a contest for children in Bangalore on Sunday.

BANGALORE: There was tension at a district-level spelling bee competition at Royale Concorde International School here on Sunday after many parents heckled the organisers when the competition was not conducted according to the schedule.

The parents became restless as their children were made to wait for hours without any signs of the competition taking off. Agitated parents manhandled two representatives of MaRRS Intellectual Services Pvt. Ltd., which organised the Bangalore district-level spelling bee championship.

Over 2,500 students, representing nearly 100 schools in the city, from class one to class 12 were participating.

It all started around 1 p.m. when some parents entered into a verbal altercation with the organisers questioning the delay in starting the competition for which each student had paid an entry fee of Rs. 50. Even as the organisers were trying to pacify the agitated parents, many started entering the classrooms to take their children away while some others tried to keep the competition alive by restoring order.

The police had to intervene to bring the situation under control. They also rescued the two representatives of MaRRS, who were manhandled by the agitated parents. Parents alleged that the organisers, who were clearly not ready to handle such a big crowd, left the venue without informing them.

An anxious parent, Sarina Singh, said, “There are so many children, and security arrangements have not been made. It is a good thing that the parents have taken charge of the situation.”

Another parent, Vivek Challa, said, “The organisers have disappeared. No one seems to know what is happening. So many children have been forced to sit in classrooms and just left there.”

Earlier in the day, the students had experienced problems during registrations when many were made to wait for hours even as the competition had begun.

The MaRRS representatives, before being escorted by the police, announced that the stages of competition that had been completed stand cancelled, and that they would organise the level-wise competition in the respective schools. The Hennur Police told The Hindu that parents did not file a complaint in this regard as the organisers agreed to return Rs. 50 each that had been collected from them.

Permission

Rekha Vinod, Vice-Principal and Academic Coordinator, Royale Concorde International School, said, “The school allowed MaRRS to conduct the championship after they approached us. Permission was granted for 300 students and 600 parents in each category. However, nearly 500 students and 1,000 parents turned up for each category whereas the school’s courtyard can facilitate only 1,000 people.”

She said that organisers had been permitted to use the fourth floor, where the auditorium was located, which can accommodate 450 persons. “When things got out of control, we gave them permission to use the second and third floors too,” she added.

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