CBSE Defends Digital Exam Evaluation System Amid Political Row

By Mahima Katal India’s national school education board, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), has defended the security and reliability of its digital answer-sheet evaluation platform after allegations of scoring discrepancies triggered political controversy and concern among students.

In a statement issued Thursday, the CBSE said its On-Screen Marking (OSM) system is backed by a “secure and robust IT platform” and that no breach or vulnerability had been detected in the actual evaluation portal.

The board said the platform had undergone security audits and certification procedures and was supported by “multiple quality checks and safeguards” to ensure the secure scanning and processing of students’ answer books.

“Answer books are safe and have been processed through multiple quality-control mechanisms,” the CBSE said in a message addressed to students on social media platform X.

The clarification comes amid growing scrutiny over the board’s decision to award a digital evaluation contract for the 2026 Class 12 examinations to education technology firm Coempt Edutech. Claims circulating online have alleged that the OSM system may have led to discrepancies between students’ handwritten answer sheets and the scanned versions uploaded by the board.

Several students have reported mismatches in handwriting and marks, raising concerns over the integrity of the evaluation process.

The CBSE on Wednesday rejected allegations related to the contract award, calling them “misleading” and stating that the agreement was finalised according to India’s General Financial Rules governing public procurement.

The controversy intensified after Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi demanded an independent judicial inquiry and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into what he described as a possible “scam” involving the digital marking process.

In a video posted on social media, Gandhi alleged that Coempt Edutech was formerly known as Globarena, a company previously linked to controversies involving examination evaluation systems in the southern state of Telangana.

He claimed that similar OSM-related issues in Telangana’s board examinations in 2019 and 2023 had caused severe distress among students, including cases of suicide following disputed exam results.

Gandhi also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for remaining silent on the issue, saying students and parents across the country were “traumatised” by the allegations.

The CBSE oversees one of the world’s largest school examination systems, with millions of students appearing annually for board exams that are critical for university admissions and future career opportunities.