Congress Raises Concerns Over CBSE Digital Evaluation System

Congress leader and MP Jairam Ramesh on Monday launched a sharp criticism of the Centre and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) newly introduced On Screen Marking (OSM) system for Class 12 board examinations. He claimed that the digital evaluation system has created confusion and uncertainty for lakhs of students across the country.

Ramesh alleged that the rollout of the OSM system has disrupted the academic process and raised serious concerns about the reliability of the evaluation mechanism. He said the system, which digitises answer scripts for online evaluation by teachers, has led to operational issues that have affected smooth assessment. According to him, these issues have contributed to anxiety among students awaiting results.

The Congress leader also claimed that the Class 12 pass percentage this year has fallen by around three percentage points, from 88 per cent to 85 per cent, suggesting that the change in evaluation method may have impacted outcomes. He further alleged multiple irregularities in the process, including blurred or illegible scanned answer sheets, mismatched allocation of answer scripts, delays in evaluator payments, and what he described as “excessive” revaluation charges.

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Explaining the system in question, officials describe On Screen Marking (OSM) as a digital evaluation process in which physical answer sheets are scanned, anonymised to conceal student identities, and then evaluated by teachers on computer screens. The CBSE had introduced the system as part of broader efforts to modernise examination assessment and improve efficiency, though concerns have now been raised over its execution.

Ramesh also criticised Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, alleging that the government failed to anticipate technical and administrative challenges before implementing the system. He said the ministry responded only after concerns became public and suggested that the government’s handling of the rollout reflected poor planning and lack of preparedness.

He further demanded accountability from the Centre, questioning why the system was introduced without adequate testing and why official responses were delayed. Ramesh went as far as calling for the resignation of the Education Minister, alleging mismanagement that he said could impact the future of students, while also urging the Prime Minister to address the concerns raised over the examination process.

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