Education Minister Defends New CBSE On-Screen Marking System
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has defended the Central Board of Secondary Education's new On-Screen Marking system, emphasizing its role in enhancing transparency and addressing student concerns. He acknowledged existing irregularities in the Class 12 evaluation process and assured that all complaints will be resolved during the re-evaluation phase. The OSM system allows students to view their scores and scanned answer sheets, ensuring no answers are overlooked. With approximately 1.7 million students participating this year, the minister highlighted the extensive scope of the evaluation process, marking a significant step in digital assessment in India.
| May 28, 2026, 13:02 IST
Minister Addresses Concerns Over CBSE Evaluation Process
The Union Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, has defended the newly introduced On-Screen Marking (OSM) system by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), describing it as a progressive tool aimed at enhancing transparency and benefiting students. In response to concerns raised regarding irregularities in the Class 12 evaluation process, the minister acknowledged that some issues have arisen and assured students that all complaints will be addressed during the ongoing re-evaluation process.
Speaking to the media, Pradhan stated that he takes responsibility for the irregularities that have come to light. He emphasized that these issues will be rectified and appropriate solutions will be found. No student’s questions or concerns will be left unresolved. The minister highlighted that the OSM system allows students to transparently view their scores and access scanned copies of their answer sheets, helping them verify that no answers or sections were overlooked during evaluation.
Describing this initiative as student-centric, Pradhan noted that many universities and educational institutions both in India and abroad are gradually adopting digital evaluation systems like OSM. He mentioned that CBSE is implementing this system for the first time in the country. Highlighting the extensive scope of the evaluation process, the minister revealed that approximately 1.7 million students participated in this year's CBSE Class 12 examinations. According to him, around 9.8 million answer sheets, comprising nearly 400 million scanned pages, were evaluated through the OSM process for the first time.
He assured that all answer sheets have been securely stored and that the re-evaluation process has commenced following complaints raised by students regarding discrepancies in scores and evaluations. Pradhan reiterated that both the government and CBSE officials are actively working to resolve all issues related to the evaluation process and ensure that students' concerns are addressed transparently.