The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) disregarded recommendations from its own governing body to conduct pilot projects in various regional offices before implementing the on-screen marking (OSM) system for this year’s Class 12 board examinations, according to meeting minutes reviewed by Hindustan Times.
Instead of broader trials across its 22 regional offices, the board limited its preparation to a modest two-day exercise in January involving around 100 teachers at five schools in Delhi. Participants in that dry run later told Hindustan Times they had cautioned officials against proceeding with the full-scale rollout, stressing the need for enhanced features, extended training, and more time for adaptation.
CBSE formally introduced the OSM system on February 9, shortly before the Class 12 exams commenced on February 17. Actual evaluation using the new platform began on March 7. The board organised demonstrations, webinars, and mock sessions, but school principals and evaluators characterised these as largely procedural rather than comprehensive nationwide preparation for such a significant change in assessment methods.
The system has since faced widespread criticism. Evaluators have reported that OSM introduced an unfamiliar workflow, delivered poor-quality scans of answer scripts, and occasionally recorded marks inaccurately. Parents have raised concerns about scripts being mixed up. Teachers involved in both the January trial and live evaluation noted that many assessors were still learning the software while marking real answer books, despite a nationwide webinar on February 13 and access to a training portal opened on February 15.
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One educator highlighted the pressure to meet daily targets for timely results, while others pointed to limitations of digital evaluation, such as difficulty in revisiting answers or spotting details compared to physical scripts. Technical challenges, including login problems and scanning issues, were acknowledged by CBSE officials during a May 17 press conference. Out of nearly 9.87 million answer books evaluated, over 68,000 required rescanning and more than 13,500 had to be checked manually.
This has contributed to a sharp rise in requests for scanned copies over 404,000 applications for more than 1.13 million answer books as of May 26 following a fee reduction. The Class 12 pass percentage dropped to 85.20%, the lowest since 2019, adding to student and parental anxiety.
In a notable case reported by Hindustan Times, Delhi student Vedant Shrivastava received an unrelated physics answer sheet initially, which CBSE later corrected. Officials described such mix-ups as rare.
CBSE had tested OSM on a smaller scale in 2014 but scaled it back due to technical constraints. Despite current issues, the board plans to continue the system next year. Former CBSE chairperson Ashok Ganguly described the initiative as promising but emphasised the importance of better preparation, training, and robust safeguards.