2-month delay in releasing sports competition schedule leaves schools worried

The delay has become a major concern because state-level sports competitions help Class 10 students earn additional marks in their board examinations

MUMBAI: Schools across Maharashtra are in a state of anxiety on account of the inordinate delay by the government in releasing the annual schedule for school sports competitions. These are announced every year in June from the local level to the district, divisional and state levels, but this year, there is no sign of the schedule even in the second week of August.

2-month delay in releasing sports competition schedule leaves schools worried

The delay has become a major concern because state-level sports competitions help Class 10 students earn additional marks in their board examinations. The competition schedule is applicable to all schools, including private schools, across the state.

Adding to the schools’ and students’ worry is the delay in launching the new Sport Maharashtra portal, through which player registration is expected to be carried out this year. Earlier, schools used the District Sports Officer portal to register students. However, the new portal has not yet become operational, leaving schools unable to begin the registration process.

In a letter to the Director of Sports, Sachin Zagade from the Ahilyanagar Teachers Association urged the department to immediately start the online registration process and release the competition calendar. “Every year the competitions begin in a planned manner from June,” he said. “But even after the first week of August, schools have no information about player registration or the competition schedule. This uncertainty is affecting students, teachers and parents.”

Schools have also raised concerns about the large number of documents that must be uploaded for every student, including a copy of the first admission General Register, birth certificate and Aadhaar card. Sports teachers say that collecting, scanning and uploading these documents for hundreds of students is a difficult and time-consuming task.

A sports teacher from a private school in Mumbai, requesting anonymity, said the process could be made much easier by using the APAAR ID system. “The government already has the basic details of students through APAAR IDs,” he said. “Why should schools upload the same information again and again? It only increases our workload and delays registrations.”

Teachers also pointed out that many sports teachers are already handling additional government duties, increasing the pressure on schools. They fear that if the portal is further delayed and competitions are announced at short notice, many students may not be able to complete their registrations on time.

The teachers association has demanded that the Sport Maharashtra portal be launched immediately, schools be given at least 30 days for player registration, and the district, divisional and state competition schedule be announced well in advance. It has also sought clear registration guidelines and a simpler document verification process to reduce the administrative burden on schools.

“With the first week of August coming to an end and the online entry process yet to begin, teachers fear that the entire sports competition calendar may be disrupted unless the government acts quickly,” said Zagade. “An early decision is necessary to ensure that students do not lose the opportunity to participate in competitions that are important for both their sporting careers and academic benefits.”