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.
The decision has been taken in light of scheduled maintenance work on the state government’s ‘Aaple Sarkar’ portal, which will remain inaccessible from 10 to 14 April.
Initially, district sports offices were required to submit grace mark proposals online to their respective Divisional Boards by 15 April. However, with the portal unavailable until a day prior to the deadline, the State Board has now extended the submission deadline to 21 April, ensuring sufficient time for all concerned parties 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.
