Parliamentary panel summons CBSE chairperson, education secretary amid OSM row
What's the story
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education has summoned Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, and Rahul Singh, Chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), amid the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system controversy. The committee will meet at 11:00am at the Parliament House Annexe to discuss issues related to CBSE Class 12 examinations and the three-language formula in Classes 9 and 10. The meeting comes after students raised concerns about technical glitches and evaluation discrepancies with OSM.
Participant list
Panel to hear from students
The committee will address concerns related to the use of OSM in CBSE Class 12 exams, with an emphasis on student issues and the impact on the exam grading process since its deployment. An evaluation will be done to see whether the system has affected transparency, efficiency, or student results. The committee also hear from representatives of CBSE students who faced issues during evaluation processes. Their first-hand accounts are expected to shed light on concerns that have been widely discussed.
Cybersecurity concerns
Cybersecurity aspects of OSM system
The committee has also summoned the Director General of the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In). This indicates that the panel may discuss cybersecurity aspects of the OSM system, including allegations of system glitches and data integrity issues. The inclusion of CERT-In is crucial given public concerns about technological robustness and infrastructure integrity in digital evaluation processes.
Language policy
Three-language formula discussion
The committee will also discuss the implementation of the three-language formula in secondary school education. This discussion will focus on its execution in Classes 9 and 10 across different states. During the meeting, senior officials such as the Secretary of the Department of School Education under the Ministry of Education and the Chairman of CBSE will also provide their perspectives, per ANI.
Portal launch
CBSE launches verification, re-evaluation portal for Class 12 students
Meanwhile, the CBSE has launched a verification and re-evaluation portal for Class 12 students. The launch comes after a delay due to technical issues and cybersecurity concerns. The portal was initially scheduled to go live on June 1 but was delayed over technical glitches during answer-sheet access earlier this month.