CBSE exam reform needs patience, preparedness
What makes the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system for Class XII episode especially troubling is that it is part of a broader pattern of simultaneous and insufficiently tested reforms introduced in quick succession by the CBSE.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) announced implementation of the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system for Class XII a week before the commencement of the final examinations of nearly 18 lakh students in February — a sweeping shift from physical answer-book evaluation to a fully digital framework. The shift was not, in itself, misguided. Large public institutions cannot remain untouched by technological change, and examination systems inevitably require modernisation. Yet the turmoil following the rollout — from blurred scans and missing pages to payment failures, answer-sheet mismatches and cybersecurity concerns — reveals a deeper lacuna: Of ambition outpacing preparedness. It also highlights an administrative shortsightedness that believes digitisation itself is synonymous with progress.
Software systems — especially those handling the futures of millions — require phased implementation, stress testing, repeated trial runs under real conditions, and robust grievance redressal mechanisms. Teachers need training and infrastructure must be reliable across urban and rural centres. For the OSM rollout, as a report in this newspaper noted, a dry run was conducted in January in five schools, where teachers from central, state and private schools were trained in the system for three days. However, no pilot projects were conducted across the CBSE’s regional offices. What makes the episode especially troubling is that it is part of a broader pattern of insufficiently tested reforms introduced in quick succession by the CBSE. These include introduction of a three-language policy for students of Class IX from July, two board examinations a year for Class X students, a shift to competency-based questions, and a revised re-evaluation process.
A parliamentary panel has summoned senior officials from the education ministry and the CBSE for a meeting on June 2 to review the OSM fiasco as well as the three-language policy; IIT Madras and Kanpur and four public-sector banks have been brought in to help with the systemic glitch. Fixing accountability is a good place to start but the way forward demands a less breathless imagination of reform. In a country where competition is fierce and opportunities limited, examinations carry disproportionate consequences. A misplaced script or a failed portal can alter futures irreversibly.
