CBSE Faces Answer-Sheet Errors in New Digital Checking System

The CBSE's digital evaluation system identified 20 mix-up cases with answer sheets, affecting approximately 13,000 sheets, which required manual grading. Students notified errors after checking scanned copies online. Despite these issues, officials stress technology's vital role in ensuring transparency.

The Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) transition to an on-screen marking (OSM) process uncovered about 20 incidents where students received incorrect answer sheets. Around 13,000 of the digitized sheets eventually required manual checking due to these issues, according to government sources.

Students, including Vedant and Sanjana, reported the errors, prompting CBSE to prioritize resolving these concerns. Despite the mix-ups and the need for manual evaluations, the board defends the OSM system for its transparency and technological benefits. The board plans to further enhance the digital platform’s efficiency with input from IIT experts.

Out of almost 98 lakh answer sheets scanned, around 68,000 exhibited quality concerns necessitating rescans, yet about 13,000 still fell short of legibility standards even afterward. Industry specialists from IITs and the Digital Infrastructure Corporation of India are actively working to improve the system.

Moreover, the tendering process for managing the OSM system was won by Coempt, which outbid Tata Consultancy Services by quoting approximately Rs 24.75 per answer booklet. However, this decision has drawn criticism from political figures like Rahul Gandhi, who calls for a probe into Coempt's past as Globarena.