India’s examination system survives on one fragile assumption that students will be treated fairly, even when results are disappointing. Once that belief weakens, every mark, every rank and every evaluation begins to invite suspicion. The controversy surrounding the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE‘s) On-Screen Marking (OSM) system has now entered precisely that territory.What began earlier this month as complaints over mismatched marks and faulty scanned answer sheets has now expanded into allegations that schools were informally encouraged to publicly defend the system online. According to several principals across Delhi, regional CBSE officials allegedly contacted schools through phone calls, WhatsApp groups and informal communication channels, urging them to post positive messages about the digital evaluation process and reassure students and parents.Various media reports said that a purported statement circulated among schools described the transition to digital evaluation as “a monumental shift” that had “fundamentally improved the structural integrity of our assessments”. The statement also reportedly claimed that the system “completely eliminates human clerical errors” and urged institutions to “embrace these digital advancements with patience” and “trust the system”.The controversy comes at a time when the OSM system is already facing scrutiny over complaints of blurred answer sheets, missing scanned pages, incorrect marking and, in some cases, alleged mismatches between physical and digital copies of answer books. Students across the country have questioned whether the system introduced to improve transparency and efficiency has instead produced a new layer of uncertainty.
Technical failure or narrative engineering?
This current episode matters not merely because schools were allegedly asked to reassure the public, but because it suggests an institutional priority that appears increasingly focused on controlling perception rather than addressing structural concerns.One private school principal in Delhi, quoted in media reports, claimed: “We were verbally told to reassure parents and students and highlight the positive aspects of OSM.” Another principal reportedly said there was “a clear sense that schools should help calm the narrative”.Educational institutions are expected to address panic during moments of confusion. But there is a difference between communicating responsibly and appearing to coordinate public messaging while students continue to report unresolved grievances.Several principals reportedly said that schools were simultaneously dealing with anxious parents, assisting students with the re-evaluation portal and responding to complaints regarding incomplete answer sheets, even as they were being encouraged to publicly project confidence in the system. One principal reportedly said that “parents are coming to us with genuine concerns, but online there is pressure to sound reassuring”.The institutional response has therefore created a second layer to the controversy. The issue is no longer confined to whether the technology malfunctioned. It is increasingly about whether criticism itself is being managed rather than meaningfully addressed.
The system is already under strain
The allegations emerge against the backdrop of a widening controversy around CBSE’s decision to implement full-scale digital evaluation for Class 12 examinations this year.The OSM system functions by scanning physical answer sheets and uploading them onto a digital platform for evaluation by teachers. According to the Board, the objective was to reduce human error, increase efficiency and standardise assessment practices. But the transition has exposed several operational weaknesses.Students have alleged that scanned copies were blurred or incomplete, that pages were missing and that some answers remained unchecked. The controversy escalated sharply after a student, Vedant Srivastava, claimed the Physics answer sheet uploaded to him after re-evaluation did not belong to him. He alleged that the handwriting differed from his own and that the uploaded copy contained answers to questions he had not attempted.The CBSE later stated that the “correct copy” had been shared with the student. But by then, the incident had already triggered wider public anxiety about the integrity of the evaluation system itself.Over the past week, screenshots, testimonials and videos shared online have amplified those concerns. According to the Board, lakhs of students have applied for scanned or physical copies of their answer sheets following the declaration of results.At the same time, questions have also emerged regarding preparedness. Teachers’ organisations and educationists have raised concerns about whether evaluators received sufficient training to assess lengthy descriptive answers through a screen-based interface. Evaluating handwritten responses digitally under strict timelines is not equivalent to conventional paper-based assessment. In subjects that require interpretive judgement, prolonged screen-based evaluation can risk reducing assessment to a more mechanical process.Technology may streamline administrative work. It cannot by itself guarantee academic fairness.
Public trust cannot be manufactured
Equally damaging for the CBSE is the perception that reassurance is being prioritised over transparency. Institutional trust in public examinations is built not through promotional messaging but through visible accountability.
Reddit post made by a student
The social media reaction to the latest allegations reflects that growing distrust. A Reddit post being circulated claims that students were being asked by schools to post messages online declaring they had “no problem with OSM checking”. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal also criticised the development on X, writing: “Rather than accepting the problem and correcting it, they are using kids to justify their rotten system.”CBSE has consistently maintained that the OSM process is secure and that all genuine complaints are being reviewed on priority. It has also denied allegations of security breaches after a student identifying himself as an ethical hacker claimed he had accessed evaluator accounts through vulnerabilities on a testing portal. The Board stated that no actual evaluation data had been compromised.But the larger problem now extends beyond any single allegation. The controversy has exposed how fragile public confidence becomes when examination systems appear opaque during moments of crisis.
The burden of institutional credibility
India’s school examination system carries consequences far beyond marksheets. For millions of students, these results determine admissions, scholarships, career pathways and social mobility. In such a system, even isolated irregularities acquire disproportionate significance because students experience them not as mere errors but as threats to their futures.That is why public examinations require more than administrative efficiency. They require institutions to appear transparent, accountable and willing to acknowledge limitations.CBSE’s current challenge is therefore is institutional. The more the controversy moves towards managing narratives instead of openly confronting shortcomings, the more difficult it becomes to restore confidence in the system.Technology can assist evaluation, but it cannot substitute trust. And once that trust weakens, no amount of coordinated reassurance can easily rebuild it.
