Context: Following the release of the Class 12 board examination results, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is facing intense public backlash over massive discrepancies in its newly implemented On-Screen Marking (OSM) system.
About On-Screen Marking (OSM) system:
What It Is?
- On-Screen Marking (OSM) is a digital evaluation framework for handwritten examination papers. Instead of physical answer scripts being packed, shipped, and graded manually with a red pen, the booklets are collected at centers, scanned, anonymized, and uploaded onto a secure cloud platform where evaluators grade them digitally on computer screens.
Developed and Managed By:
- The digital evaluation infrastructure and the OnMark portal used by the CBSE were outsourced to Coempt Eduteck Pvt. Ltd.
History:
- The CBSE first piloted an early version of OSM in 2013-14, which failed due to a lack of digital literacy and infrastructure.
- Despite its own governing body advising in June 2025 to limit OSM to small-volume subjects as a trial run, the CBSE bypassed the pilot phase and enforced full-scale nationwide adoption across all subjects in 2026.
Aim:
- The CBSE introduced full-scale OSM to modernize its evaluation pipeline. The stated objectives included:
- Complete elimination of manual totaling and tabulation errors.
- Accelerated evaluation cycles to compress the processing window from 12 days down to 9 days.
- Enhanced transparency and reduction of post-result verification applications.
How It Works & Key Features:
- Anonymization: Student roll numbers and barcode identifiers are digitally masked before uploading to prevent examiner bias.
- Digital Canvas Grading: Evaluators log into a monitored portal under video surveillance, using digital tools to add ticks, cross out answers, and assign step-wise marks on screen.
- Auto-Tabulation: The software automatically aggregates question-wise scores into a final tally, preventing manual arithmetic errors.
- SLA-Driven Security (Contractual): The system features a strict Service Level Agreement (SLA) penalizing software downtime or page-loading lags at a rate of ₹1 lakh per 15 minutes.
