SC seeks govt, CBSE’s response on permanent mechanism to address OSM glitches

The Supreme Court on Friday sought the government and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)’s response by Monday on a permanent mechanism to address the on-screen marking (OSM) glitches.

In June, the government constituted a one-member inquiry committee to examine concerns over the rollout of CBSE’s OSM for Class 12. It told the court that a one-week window was provided for aggrieved students to apply for revaluation, and 168,000 of them benefited.

A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said there should be a permanent mechanism. “Earlier, you stated that there are teething problems and a one-member commission is looking into these aspects.”

Solicitor general Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the government, said a note had been prepared. “But I feel it should be placed before the court in an affidavit. There is something in my mind which I need to discuss with the government. The matter may be taken up on Monday.”

Lawyer Rakesh Binjola, who filed a petition raising concerns over the OSM, said the figure of 168,000 students is very low. He added that the careers of tens of thousands were at stake. Binjola said nearly 300,000 students appeared in compartment exams. “The government must consider extending the window for revaluation, as many students were caught unawares.”

The bench told Mehta, “Can the window be reopened for a week? You must look into this matter.”

Mehta said that it may not be possible. “They have missed the deadline, and nothing can be done. A specific decision was taken to give a one-week window, following which 168,000 students applied.”

He said the deadline was fixed because it was linked to the commencement of other competitive examinations over which they have no control.

The bench posted the matter for Tuesday. It told the petitioner to file a response to the government’s affidavit indicating various categories of students still left out. “You can indicate the students who failed to supply documents and those who could not apply during the window period due to technological gap,” the bench told the petitioner.

Binjola sought a regulatory framework for CBSE board examinations through the OSM and the constitution of a high-powered committee to supervise its implementation. It called for relaxation of minimum qualifying marks for students who have secured provisional admissions or cleared entrance examinations. Binjola argued that flaws in the evaluation process adversely affected their board scores. He said some students are yet to receive copies of their answer scripts.

The government transferred CBSE chairperson Rahul Singh and repatriated the board’s secretary, Himanshu Gupta, to his parent cadre after discrepancies in the digital evaluation of Class 12. HT reported that the contract for the OSM system was awarded to Coempt Edu Teck just 74 days before the Class 12 board examinations, following multiple tender modifications during the procurement process.