A major evaluation reform has been rolled out just days before the Class 12 board examinations. The Central Board of Secondary Education has introduced On-Screen Marking (OSM) for Class 12 answer sheets starting this year, while Class 10 will continue with physical evaluation.
The announcement was made 3 days before the first paper on February 17. Under the new system, answer sheets will be scanned and evaluated digitally. CBSE has clarified that the writing format remains largely unchanged. However, students must attach map sheets at the end and answer strictly question-wise to ensure smooth scanning.
Many students have raised concerns about the timing. A student from Guwahati said, “We don’t mind change. We just wish change didn’t come three days before the biggest exam of our school life.” Others expressed anxiety about technical glitches and the possibility of incomplete scanning.
Teachers see potential benefits but highlight infrastructure challenges. Digital evaluation may reduce totalling errors and eliminate the separate marks-uploading stage. Evaluators will log in using secure credentials, with IP-restricted access within school premises. Around 20 answer books will initially be assigned per evaluator. Work can be paused and resumed, with detailed tracking of time spent and marking patterns.
However, concerns remain about internet stability, power failures and system monitoring. Some teachers questioned whether time tracking could become a performance metric.
The scale of the reform is significant. Nearly 18.5 lakh students and over 1 crore answer books across 120 subjects will be evaluated. Around 6,000 of 31,000 schools will function as evaluation centres.
CBSE has assured that all preparatory work, including evaluator training and login access, will be completed before evaluation begins. Students will continue to have access to answer sheets upon request, but separate verification of totalling will no longer be needed.
While the board describes the transition as a “safe flight,” students and educators remain cautious. The success of the reform will depend on infrastructure readiness, training and stakeholder confidence.
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