CBSE Class XII Results Row: In a significant move aimed at increasing transparency in the board examination process, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced that students will be
able to access scanned copies of their evaluated answer sheets through the DigiLocker from next year.
As per news reports, the board has said that the new initiative would allow students to directly view scanned copies of their evaluated answer scripts, helping them verify responses and better understand the marking process. The board expects the measure to improve trust and reduce disputes related to examination results.
At present, students seeking answer sheets, verification of marks or re-evaluation go through a multi-stage process that take ample amount of time. Direct access of answer scripts through DigiLocker could significantly reduce delays and provide students with quicker access to their evaluated scripts.
The decision came amid scrutiny of the board’s newly introduced On-Screen Marking (OSM) system following reports of answer-sheet mismatches and technical glitches during the evaluation of Class 12 examinations this year.
Concerns were raised after the declaration of Class 12 results, when some students reportedly found that answer sheets uploaded against their names did not belong to them. Government sources told news agency PTI that CBSE detected around 20 cases where students were shown answer sheets belonging to other candidates after the board introduced its OSM system this year.
Under the new model, answer sheets were scanned and evaluated digitally. According to sources, more than 98 lakh answer booklets, amounting to nearly 40 crore pages, were scanned during the process. Officials said around 68,000 answer sheets were found to have scanning-quality issues and had to be scanned again.
Even after rescanning, more than 13,000 answer sheets failed to meet the required standards and were therefore checked manually.
Despite the issues, CBSE defended the rollout of digital evaluation, saying the transition was intended to make the assessment process faster, more efficient and more accurate. The board also backed its decision to award the OSM contract to Telangana-based Coempt Edu Teck, stating that the company was selected through a Quality and Cost Based Selection (QCBS) process and met all prescribed technical requirements.
According to CBSE, the firm was the lowest financial bidder and held the highest Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Level 5 certification at the time of selection.
