Overview
- The ministry has asked the Central Board of Secondary Education for a detailed report on how the On‑Screen Marking contract was procured and on concerns about the system’s rollout, and CBSE says it followed government procurement rules.
- The contract was awarded to Coempt Edu Teck in a process that produced a significantly lower bid than larger firms, prompting questions about the evaluation and selection of a relatively small supplier.
- The opposition Congress alleges the tender’s technical and eligibility requirements were weakened, citing specific claims such as a cut in required scan quality and removal of high‑speed scanner and past‑performance rules.
- Parents and teachers have raised alarm over a rapid rollout of the new digital marking platform for nearly 10 million Class 12 answer scripts, pointing to technical glitches and reported cybersecurity worries that could affect scoring quality.
- The ministry has warned it will fix accountability if lapses are found and officials expect further action after the CBSE report, with the outcome likely to determine disciplinary steps and public trust in the board’s digital evaluation system.