Campus Times | Lucknow

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is facing scrutiny over its newly introduced Online On-Screen Marking (OSM) system after a large number of students reported discrepancies in this year’s Class 10 and Class 12 examination results. The controversy has sparked concerns about the accuracy, transparency, and reliability of the digital evaluation process.

According to data released by CBSE, as many as 4,04,319 students applied for scanned copies of their answer sheets. These requests covered 11,31,961 answer booklets. With a fee of Rs 100 charged per answer sheet copy, the board is estimated to have collected approximately Rs 11.31 crore through this process.

In addition, over 1.6 lakh students applied for mark verification and re-evaluation of nearly 3.8 lakh answer sheets. The fees charged for these services are estimated to have generated close to Rs 9 crore, taking the total revenue from post-result review processes to more than Rs 20 crore.

Students Report Missing Pages and Incomplete Records

Several students who obtained scanned copies of their answer sheets alleged that the documents provided were blurred, incomplete, or contained missing pages. Some students also claimed that answer sheets belonging to other candidates were uploaded instead of their own.

These complaints have intensified concerns about the effectiveness of the OSM system and the safeguards in place to ensure fair and accurate evaluation.

High-Profile Cases Draw Attention

The issue gained wider public attention after Delhi student Tanishq Vats alleged that he initially received an incomplete marksheet and was unable to access his Biology answer sheet for re-evaluation. According to reports, the answer sheet became available only after the matter attracted public attention.

Similar complaints were shared by students on social media platforms, where concerns were raised regarding missing records, discrepancies in awarded marks, and difficulties in accessing answer sheets.

Ministry Orders Technical Review

Amid growing criticism, the Ministry of Education reportedly directed a technical review of CBSE’s OnMark portal. Experts from IIT Kanpur, IIT Madras, and government cybersecurity agencies were reportedly involved in examining the platform’s functioning and identifying potential technical issues.

As part of corrective measures, answer sheet data and related records were shifted from private servers to CBSE’s own infrastructure. Multiple rounds of security audits, code reviews, and system testing were also conducted to strengthen the platform.

The controversy has reignited debate over the implementation of digital evaluation systems and the need for stronger quality-control mechanisms to ensure fairness and accuracy in board examinations.