Supreme Court Asks CBSE To Explore Measures To Protect Students Affected By OSM Marking

The Supreme Court has asked the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to examine ways to protect students whose admission prospects may have been affected by their Class 12 scores following the introduction of the board’s new On-Screen Marking (OSM) system.

A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana heard the matter on Friday. The court has scheduled the next hearing for August 21.

The issue relates to CBSE’s OSM evaluation system, under which physical answer sheets are scanned and made available digitally for teachers to evaluate on computers instead of checking the original answer scripts manually.

During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel told the court that some students had passed their CBSE examinations but were unable to secure the minimum marks required for admission to certain courses because of their board examination scores. In some cases, the concerned courses have already commenced.

Taking note of the students’ concerns, the bench asked CBSE to examine how their interests could be protected.

Supreme Court Seeks Remedial Measures

The Supreme Court had earlier expressed concern over complaints related to the digital evaluation system. On July 15, the court had sought the assistance of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta in the matter and asked about steps being taken to address the concerns.

The Solicitor General had informed the court that individual discrepancies in marksheets referred to in the petition had largely been resolved. However, the government was also examining broader, systemic concerns related to the evaluation process.

A one-member commission headed by former bureaucrat S Radha Chauhan has been constituted to review the evaluation system and recommend necessary changes.

The court has also sought information on the remedial measures being considered by CBSE to address issues arising from the OSM system.

Plea Seeks Protection For Students

The petition has been filed by Rakesh Binjola through advocate Laxmikant Matadan Shukla. It seeks directions to the Centre and CBSE to frame clear regulations for conducting board examinations through the OSM system.

The petitioner has also sought the constitution of a high-powered committee to supervise and implement reforms related to digital evaluation.

Among the reliefs sought is relaxation in minimum qualifying marks for students who have already secured provisional admission or cleared entrance examinations but may be affected by their CBSE scores. The petition has also sought exemption from the 75 per cent or other minimum Class 12 marks criteria prescribed by certain institutions for admission.

The Supreme Court’s intervention comes at a crucial stage of the admission cycle, with students appearing for national and university-level entrance examinations after completing their Class 12 board examinations.

The court is expected to consider the matter further at its next hearing on August 21.