Amidst the controversy over hacking allegations of answer books, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) officially maintains that its on-screen marking (OSM) system is backed by a highly secure, robust, and tested digital infrastructure to protect the integrity of the evaluation.
The CBSE had earlier denied claims made by a 19-year-old over alleged vulnerabilities in its evaluation system, saying the cited portal was only a testing site with sample data and was not linked to the original platform used for assessment work.
In a social media post on X, the board stated that no compromise or vulnerability has been reported in the actual evolution portal.
The post was shared this morning in an attempt to dispel rumours.
The post further read, “Platform tested certified through empanelled security audit. Robust digital infrastructure multiple quality checks and safeguard ensure secure scanning and processing of answer books."
“Student! Your answer books are safe and have been processed through multiple, quality-control mechanisms," reads the post.
A large number of Class XII students are seeking evaluation of their answer sheets, pointing out discrepancies where the marks awarded by the examiners on digitally evaluated sheets do not match the total scores uploaded by the CBSE on its website.
According to information, 4,04,319 students from across the country applied for obtaining scanned copies of their evaluated answer books till Wednesday evening, while more than 20,000 applications have been received at the Ludhiana-based regional office alone.
After revision, the fee for obtaining a scanned copy of an evaluated answer sheet has been reduced from Rs 700 to Rs 100 per subject by the CBSE.
Similarly, the fee for verification of marks, which includes checking clerical errors such as totaling mistake and unchecked answers, has been cut from Rs 500 to Rs 100, while the fee for re-evaluation has been reduced from Rs 100 to Rs 25 per question. A simple calculation suggests that applications for scanned copies alone could fetch the CBSE over Rs 4 crore.
An educationist said the entire controversy had effectively become a money spinner for the board. “After discrepancies surfaced in Class XII results, a large number of students applied for scanned copies of answer-sheets. Though the board reduced fee, the sheer volume of applications means it will still earn substantial revenue,” the educationist said.
Meanwhile, many students are still awaiting answer-sheets even after more than 10 days of applying.
