On-Screen Marking (OSM) and Fee Changes in CBSE Class 12 Board Exams
The Ministry of Education basically shut down the concerns about using On-Screen Marking , or OSM , in the Class 12 board exams on Sunday. They insisted, of course, that the system has always been part of how the Central Board of Secondary Education handled evaluations. They claimed it doesn’t actually change the students’ final scores.
Sanjay Kumar, the School Education Secretary, was at a press conference, trying to smooth things over. He said OSM is just an internationally accepted way to make things transparent in grading. He added that they paid special attention to making sure the marking remained accurate, which is something.
Then there’s the money part. The CBSE actually dropped the fee for re-evaluation and verification of answer sheets down to just Rs 100. That’s a big change from what it used to be.
This whole discussion kicked off because students and parents were worried. They felt that the drop in pass percentages in the CBSE Class 12 exams seemed linked to this OSM system.
Kumar brought up the sheer volume of work. Out of the 98 lakh answer sheets evaluated this year, they had to manually check over 13,000 sheets. Why? Some of the sheets just weren't legible, even after they scanned them again. The ink was too light sometimes.
So, the examiners had to step in. They manually checked those sheets. The marks got entered into the system afterward. It wasn't seamless, obviously.
The secretary kept stressing that OSM isn't some brand new thing. It wasn't introduced yesterday.
He explained the history a bit. The CBSE started using OSM back in 2014. At that time, they felt it wasn't practical right away because the infrastructure wasn't ready. But they brought it back this year.
He pointed out the flexibility. That was a big selling point. Before, evaluation mostly happened within the regional offices. But now? It can be evaluated even outside those regional boundaries.
It’s not just India. This whole technology thing is used globally.
He brought up the big names. The International Baccalaureate and Cambridge boards use it. It’s become the norm internationally because technology makes the whole system way more transparent.
Back to the evaluation itself. He said, for Class 12, all 98 lakh sheets were scanned, and they followed three layers of security. But there were hiccups. Those legibility issues came up again.
Those 13,000 sheets that needed manual checking? That was necessary. The examiners looked at them manually and gave marks.
The key takeaway, he seemed to be pushing, was making sure the marking stayed fair. No one should feel they got less than they deserved.
“We just give you a copy of the answer sheet,” he said. “Looking at it shows exactly how the marking went down.”
Then the real negotiation started.
“If you look, you can see if there were mistakes,” he continued. “Since everything is scanned already, there’s no need for another massive re-examination.”
But there is a provision for re-evaluation, of course. It’s always been there in the CBSE structure. It ensures the scores and totals are absolutely correct.
The fee structure got tweaked, though. They decided that if students want to see their sheets, it’s Rs 100, not the old Rs 700. Verification? Also Rs 100, not Rs 500. And if you want a specific answer rechecked? That’s Rs 25 per question.
And here’s a small concession: if a student gets more marks during that re-evaluation, they get that money back.
But Kumar ended on a very human note. He said they care more about the kids’ well-being, their mental state. Money is fine, but it’s not the main thing right now.
The CBSE chairperson, Rahul Singh, and the other key officials were there for the press conference, along with the Joint Secretary and the Controller of Examinations.
Meanwhile, private school reps stepped in. Bharat Arora, from the Action Committee for Unaided Private Recognised Schools, backed the reforms. They welcomed the steps taken by the Ministry and CBSE for more transparency and better technology integration.
Arora stressed that schools and teachers worked hard this year to get these digital systems running smoothly. But he pushed for something more.
Future reforms need real feedback. From the evaluators, the schools, and the students. That’s where the real success of any exam change really lies. It has to rest on everyone trusting and being ready.
Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board
Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.
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