How CBSE rolled out OSM despite tender difficulties, technical concerns, teachers' negative reaction

CBSE’s new On-Screen Marking (OSM) system was supposed to make Class 12 board evaluation faster and more transparent. Instead, it has triggered massive outrage among students and parents across India. Students have alleged low marking, unchecked answers, missing step marking, and poor scan quality after answer sheets were digitised and evaluated online for the first time. Now, a Hindustan Times investigation has revealed that technical concerns around the OSM rollout had reportedly been flagged internally even before implementation. Despite this, CBSE moved ahead with the system without conducting a nationwide pilot test. The controversy has only intensified after CBSE admitted that over 68,000 answer books had to be rescanned due to poor image quality, while thousands of copies required manual checking.