State board mulls AI-based online evaluation for SSC, HSC exams; awaits approval

A proposal in this regard regarding this was sent to the state government on January 7 by the board for approval.

Pune: The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education is considering introducing AI-assisted online evaluation for Class 10 and 12 board examinations from the 2026–27 academic year, in a move aimed at improving transparency, accuracy, and efficiency in the assessment process. A proposal in this regard regarding this was sent to the state government on January 7 by the board for approval.

In this picture taken on October 13, 2017, students take an exam as portraits of late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il are seen in a classroom at Tokyo Korean high school in Tokyo. Portraits of North Korea's late leaders hang proudly in the classrooms of the Korean High School in Tokyo, where the recent surge in tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme have seen faculty and staff subjected to death threats. / AFP PHOTO / Behrouz MEHRI / TO GO WITH AFP STORY JAPAN-NKOREA-SKOREA-SOCIETY-EDUCATION BY HARUMI OZAWA (AFP)

A senior official from the state board, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “The board has sent a proposal to the state government, and the matter is currently under active consideration. A final decision will be taken after discussions at the senior administrative and policy levels.”

At present, SSC and HSC examinations are conducted at around 15,000 centres across the state. After each examination, answer sheets are physically collected, transported, distributed among subject teachers, then reviewed by moderators and chief moderators. This process involves multiple handling stages, logistical challenges, high costs, and the risk of human error and irregularities.

With the proposed digital evaluation system, officials believe that time, manpower, and operational expenses could be significantly reduced, while ensuring greater accountability and uniform marking standards.

Under the proposed model, answer sheets will be scanned digitally at the examination centres immediately after the completion of each paper. The scanned copies will be uploaded to a secure central server of the board and sorted subject-wise.

The board will maintain a database of subject teachers, and the digitised answer sheets will be allocated to evaluators through secure logins. Teachers will be able to assess the papers remotely using mobile phones, tablets, or computers, from their homes, schools, or other authorised locations.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is expected to be used as a support system to monitor the evaluation process. It may help in identifying instances such as incorrect marking, partial marking errors, and inconsistencies in evaluation, thereby improving overall accuracy and fairness.

This year, the CBSE has also announced plans to adopt AI-assisted online evaluation. Encouraged by these developments, Maharashtra is now exploring the feasibility of adopting a similar system.

Acting chairman of the Maharashtra State Board, Nandkumar Bedse, told HT “The board is considering this model to ensure greater fairness and transparency in the evaluation of examination papers. Even before I took over temporary charge, discussions were already underway on this issue. The idea is to first implement it on a small, experimental scale. If the pilot is successful and delivers tangible results, we will then consider its wider implementation”

While the proposal is under consideration, education department officials have clarified that no final decision has been taken yet. If approved, the move would represent a major shift in Maharashtra’s examination evaluation framework, aligning it with emerging national digital assessment standards.