The decision has been taken in light of scheduled maintenance work on the state government’s ‘Aaple Sarkar’ portal, which will remain inaccessible from till Monday. Initially, district sports offices were required to submit grace mark proposals online to their respective Divisional Boards by April 15
With the portal unavailable until a day prior to the deadline, the state board has now extended the submission deadline to April 21. Representational pic
The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) has announced an extension of the deadline for submitting proposals for grace marks awarded to sports students appearing for their Class 10 and 12 board examinations.
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The decision has been taken in light of scheduled maintenance work on the state government’s ‘Aaple Sarkar’ portal, which will remain inaccessible from April 10 to 14.
Initially, district sports offices were required to submit grace mark proposals online to their respective Divisional Boards by April 15. However, with the portal unavailable until a day prior to the deadline, the state board has now extended the submission deadline to April 21, ensuring sufficient time for all the parties concerned to complete the process.
In an official press release, MSBSHSE Secretary Devidas Kulal clarified that students who have represented their district, division, state, or nation in recognised sporting events are eligible to receive grace marks.
Until last academic year, applications for these grace marks were handled through a physical, offline process.
However, in a significant shift, the State Board has for the first time implemented a fully online system for submitting and processing these applications.
The digitisation move has not been without its share of criticism. Stakeholders in both education and sports have raised concerns about the imposition of dual processing fees—one charged by the State Board and another by the ‘Aaple Sarkar’ portal.
Despite the objections, the Board has decided to continue with the digital process. District sports offices have been urged to make full use of the extended window to ensure that all eligible students are considered and that the proposals are submitted promptly.
Meanwhile, school teachers have welcomed the board's decesion. They said that it is good that the board has decided to extend the deadline as transitioning from an offline to an online system was bound to have teething issues, and the portal maintenance could have caused genuine inconvenience. However, charging separate processing fees from students is unfair, especially when the system is newly introduced, they said, urging the board to ensure that these changes do not burden students or discourage them from participating in sports.
Parents have also shared similar sentiments.
Akshay Kumbhar, a parent, said, "Many students have represented their school at the state level, and we were relieved to learn about the extension. Several parents were struggling with the new online submission process and faced technical issues. While the move to digitise the system is welcome, the board should consider waiving the processing fees for sports students or at least reduce it. These kids work so hard both academically and physically—they should be supported, not penalised."
Arati Pawar, another parent, said, "The extended deadline is a good step, but the bigger issue is the sudden shift to a paid digital system. We weren't even properly informed about the fee structure or the steps involved. Many parents, especially from rural areas, are finding it difficult to navigate this change. The government should focus on simplifying such systems rather than adding financial and technical hurdles."
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