Maharashtra State Secondary Education Board has now decided to introduce sports as a completely different subject to tide over the row arising out of the 25 quota marks offered to Class X and XII students for excelling in various sporting activities.
"The new subject would be titled as 'Sports and Physical Education' and would be offered as optional to the SSC and HSC aspirants from next academic session (2012-13)," Board sources said on Wednesday. Sources said that new subject would replace the 25 sports quota marks.
A proposal in this regard had already been forwarded to the state education ministry and response from their side is positive, the Board officials said, clarifying that the decision to abolish sports quota marks was still pending with the government.
The Board was forced to rethink on the granting of sports quota marks as it was being misused rampantly to get those valuable 25 marks. These marks used to help students in taking quantum jump in the aggregate percentage. Ironically, the students used to cross even the unimaginable barrier of 100 per cent, thanks to these 25 marks.
It all began in 2008 when former State Education Minister Vasant Purke introduced the policy of awarding 20 marks for viva voice in every subject, including mathematics.
Last year, nearly 30,000 students got benefit of this quota in both class X and XII while in 2007 when it was introduced, only 3,500 had applied.
The Board had also moved a proposal to provide these 25 marks only to those students who failed in the examinations with a view to pass them, but this move was criticised.
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It all started in 2008, when the government came up with a resolution reserving 5 per cent seats in junior colleges for those who shine in sports. Last year, these reserved seats were divided between those who excelled in sports (3 per cent) and cultural activities (2 per cent).
However, the sports quota was challenged by the ICSE parents in Bombay High Court last year contending that it provided undue benefit to the state board students. The quota was then extended to other boards after a lengthy legal battle.