The Maharashtra state government has announced a special concession in attendance at school for the students who play any sport at the state or national level. This concession is for students of classes IX to XII and comes as yet another encouragement for students to pursue sports.
According to a report in the Times of India (TOI), a government resolution (GR) issued by the state education department on Wednesday which states that the minimum attendance required for students who play sports at the state and national levels has been reduced from the 75% to 60%.
"Students who participate in sports lose out on attendance due to the preparation and competitions. It has been noticed that due to fear of losing out on an academic year due to attendance, a lesser number of students participate in sports. This has an adverse effect on both the growth of the student and the sports culture in the state," said the GR.
While the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Council of Indian School Certificate Exam (CISCE) already have this concession scheme, it is a first for the state government. Students who participate in events organised by the central government, state government, School Games Federation of India and the various government approved organisations are eligible for this concession.
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If, however, a student fails to acquire the minimum required attendance of 60%, he or she can seek a special permission through their respective school principals. The GR said, "Exceptionally, if a student does not have 60% attendance, it would be the responsibility of the school principal to seek permission from the district education officer (secondary) to allow his to appear for the exam."
The sports quota marks scheme for students appearing through the state board was reintroduced in the education system by the Maharashtra government last year in June. Depending on the level of participation, a student can acquire 15 to 25 extra marks. Since the implementation of this scheme, the era of students scoring cent percent in the board exams have been revived.
The attempt is among the many that the state government is taking in a bid to encourage the young children to take up sports actively and pursue it as a career. The future of sports in India does look bright.
