New Delhi, March 3: The Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) transition toward a digital grading system faced significant hurdles during its first mass mock evaluation. School heads and educators across the region reported widespread technical malfunctions, including the inability to generate login credentials, which hampered the trial of the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system intended for the 2026 Class XII board examinations.
The board plans to replace physical grading with digital evaluation to automate mark calculations and reduce human error. However, the mandatory 30-minute practice session conducted on February 26 was reportedly marred by server issues. Many teachers stated that by the time they managed to bypass technical barriers, their allotted time slots had already expired.
“In the 30-minute time slot allotted for the mass mock evaluation on February 26, I did not receive the OTP for the first 27 minutes,” affirmed a teacher from Patiala. The educator maintained that the entire exercise proved futile as the session concluded almost immediately after the digital answer sheets finally opened.
While some school administrators, such as Vivek Tiwari, Principal of DAV Public School, Patiala, suggested that delays might be linked to internal management of login credentials, others noted systemic failures. Harpreet Kaur, Principal of Budha Dal Public School and CBSE city coordinator, affirmed that while many schools joined, significant issues regarding logging and marking were documented. She stated that these concerns have been formally flagged to the board via email.
