Sports events not held till students to get grace marks

Nagpur, Jan 23

On the second consecutive year, the inter-school and federations' sports events were not organised against the backdrop of Covid-19 pandemic. However, the state government has decided to give sports grace marks to SSC and HSC students and for that they have issued the guidelines.

The commissioner of sports and youth welfare department of the state government Om Prakash Bakoria had sent a letter on January 19, 2020 to the additional commissioner of education department requesting them to consider the performance of SSC and HSC students at district, state, national and international- level from sixth standard onwards for the grace marks.

It is also mentioned in the letter that due to Covid-19 the permission for inter-school sports competitions was not given in the year 2021-22 but the number of sports associations conducted the selection trials . Although the beneficiary students participated at state or national level from sixth standard onwards to ninth, they were not able to participate during their SSC and HSC year. In such scenario, there was a possibility that students would be deprived of the grace marks.

However, to give justice to the students the state government has taken the decision. In this regard the Sharirik Shikshan Va Krida Shikshak Mahasang (Maharashtra) had written a letter to the Directorate of Sports and Youth Welfare on January 7, 2022 and urged them to relax the earlier criteria of participation of the students in the sporting events during 10th and 12th standards. Finally, the government took the cognizance of their demand.

The physical education teachers have welcomed the state government's decision. The joint secretary (Nagpur dist) of Maharashtra State Secondary and higher Secondary Physical Education Teachers Association Sachin Deshmukh said, “ The government has taken good decision. Along with SSC, the HSC students would be benefited by this decision”.

Physical education teacher of Somalwar Nikalas Shashikant Chande has also appreciated the decision and said this decision was needed as for last two years the sports events have not been organised and the students have no fault in it.