THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It has been decided not to award grace marks to students for the SSLC and Higher Secondary examinations this year. General Education Principal Secretary has handed over a letter in this regard to the Director of Public Instruction, who is also the Commissioner of Examinations. Extracurricular activities, including arts and sports fairs, were not held as schools remained closed during the last academic year. The SCERT had recommended that grace marks be given by evaluating the performance of previous years. However, the general education department opposed this as it felt that awarding grace marks in the absence of any extra-curricular activities would send a wrong message.