The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced that scanned copies of Class 10 and 12 answer scripts will be made available to students via DigiLocker from next year, as part of its expansion of the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system for board examinations.
While officials say the move will improve transparency and reduce evaluation disputes, the rollout comes amid scrutiny over technical issues in the digital marking system and questions raised about the awarding of the OSM contract to Hyderabad-based firm Coempt Edu Teck.
The CBSE has rejected allegations of irregularities, asserting that the procurement process was transparent and that the system is secure and independently audited.
DigiLocker to Host Answer Scripts
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has confirmed that, from the next academic cycle, students will be able to access scanned copies of their evaluated answer scripts through DigiLocker.
The initiative is part of the board’s wider shift towards On-Screen Marking (OSM), a fully digital evaluation system where physical answer sheets are scanned and assessed electronically by examiners.
Officials said the move is intended to improve transparency in the examination process, enable students to independently verify their marks, and reduce delays in accessing answer sheets after results are declared.
According to the board, there are also plans to gradually integrate answer script access with digital marksheets, making post-result documentation fully paperless.
OSM System Under Scrutiny
Under the OSM framework, answer sheets are scanned at designated centres, uploaded to secure servers, and then distributed digitally to examiners for evaluation. Officials maintain that the system enhances speed, reduces human error, and ensures greater auditability compared to traditional paper-based marking.
However, the rollout has faced concerns from students and educators, with reports of blurred scans, missing pages, mismatched answer sheets, and server-related issues during peak evaluation periods. Media reports have suggested that thousands of answer sheets required manual correction due to scanning inconsistencies.
CBSE has acknowledged operational challenges in isolated cases but maintained that the system includes multiple safeguards. “The OSM platform is secure, and all vulnerabilities reported in public discussions relate to test environments, not the live evaluation system,” officials have stated, rejecting claims of systemic failure.
Contract Row and Political Reactions
At the centre of the controversy is Hyderabad-based firm Coempt Edu Teck, which was awarded the contract to implement the OSM system. The selection, made through a quality-and-cost-based evaluation process, has drawn political attention following allegations about the company’s past work and links to earlier iterations of the firm in Telangana.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has criticised the rollout, questioning the transparency of the tender process and calling for an independent investigation into the awarding of the contract. He has also raised concerns about the system’s reliability, warning that technical failures could affect the academic futures of lakhs of students.
Responding to these allegations, CBSE has firmly denied any wrongdoing, stating that the contract was awarded through a transparent and rule-compliant process. Officials have emphasised that the evaluation system has undergone audits and that there has been no compromise in examination integrity.
“The allegations being circulated are misleading and not based on facts,” CBSE officials said, defending both the vendor selection and the OSM implementation.
Balancing Transparency and Reliability
The decision to make scanned answer scripts available through DigiLocker is being positioned by CBSE as a significant step towards improving transparency and accountability in India’s examination system. Education experts note that the move could help students better understand their evaluation, streamline re-evaluation requests, and reduce disputes over marking discrepancies.
At the same time, the transition has triggered a wider debate about the readiness of large-scale digital assessment systems in India. While supporters argue that digital marking ensures faster evaluation and reduces subjective bias, critics caution that inadequate infrastructure and technical errors could undermine fairness if not addressed comprehensively.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
At The Logical Indian, we believe that reforms aimed at improving transparency in education must be welcomed especially when they empower students with greater access to their own academic records. The move to provide scanned answer scripts via DigiLocker is a progressive step towards accountability and openness in a system that directly shapes young lives.
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