Central Board of Secondary Education has come under scrutiny following multiple reports of technical glitches linked to its newly introduced On-Screen Marking (OSM) system for Class 12 board examinations, with students and parents alleging difficulties in accessing scanned answer sheets and completing the re-evaluation process.
According to reports, several students experienced login issues, delayed uploads, payment gateway problems, and difficulties in retrieving scanned answer copies through the CBSE portal after applying for verification and re-evaluation.
The issue has triggered widespread concern among students and parents, especially after some users alleged discrepancies related to uploaded answer sheets under the new digital evaluation system.
Government seeks detailed report
According to media reports, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has sought a detailed report from CBSE regarding the technical issues associated with the portal and the implementation of the OSM framework.
Reports further stated that expert technical teams from Indian Institute of Technology Madras and Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur have been asked to assist CBSE in resolving the system-related concerns.
According to officials quoted in reports, the IIT teams are expected to examine server performance, portal stability, authentication systems, payment gateways, and the overall IT infrastructure supporting the digital evaluation ecosystem.
The teams are also expected to recommend corrective measures aimed at improving workflow efficiency and reducing disruptions in the re-evaluation process.
Digital evaluation system under focus
This year, CBSE introduced the On-Screen Marking system for Class 12 board examinations, replacing the traditional physical evaluation process with digital assessment of scanned answer sheets.
According to officials cited in reports, nearly 98 lakh answer books were scanned and evaluated digitally under the new framework. Education experts reportedly estimate that the exercise involved scanning close to 1.96 crore pages within a limited timeline across centres with varying levels of infrastructure preparedness and staff training.
While the system was introduced with the objective of improving efficiency and transparency, the recent complaints have raised concerns around implementation readiness and operational execution at scale.
Reports of alleged answer-sheet mismatch
The controversy intensified after reports emerged about a Delhi-based Class 12 student alleging that the Physics answer sheet uploaded on the CBSE portal during the re-evaluation process did not belong to him.
According to the studentโs social media post, the issue may involve an answer-sheet mismatch or tagging error within the digital evaluation workflow.
The incident quickly gained attention online, with several users questioning the reliability of digital mapping and answer-sheet tagging under the OSM system.
The reports have further amplified concerns regarding the accuracy and reliability of large-scale digital examination workflows where operational precision is critical.
Political criticism over implementation
According to reports, Jairam Ramesh also criticized the implementation of the OSM system and questioned why the technical challenges were not anticipated before the nationwide rollout.
He reportedly raised concerns over planning, preparedness, and delayed response from the authorities following complaints from students and parents.
The issue has once again highlighted the operational challenges associated with digitising large public examination systems where technology infrastructure, process reliability, and user accessibility directly impact studentsโ academic outcomes.
As technical reviews begin with the involvement of IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur, students and parents are now awaiting corrective action and greater clarity from CBSE regarding the resolution of the ongoing portal and re-evaluation issues.
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