CBSE OSM Controversy: Why Coempt Beat TCS and What Went Wrong

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is currently facing intense scrutiny over its new On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. Recent reports reveal that the contract for this massive project was awarded to Coempt EduTeck after tech giant TCS lost out in a competitive bidding process. This decision has come under fire as technical glitches continue to plague the system, affecting the Class 12 board examination results and the subsequent re-evaluation process.

The road to selecting a vendor was far from smooth. CBSE had to float three separate tenders before finally securing a partner. The first two attempts failed to attract eligible bidders, leading the board to modify and relax several technical requirements in the third round, issued in August 2025. This left a window of only six months to implement a national-scale system before the examinations began—a timeline that teachers and experts say was dangerously short and required at least a year or two of further preparation.

One of the most controversial changes involved the scanning resolution of answer scripts. While initial requirements demanded 300 DPI or higher for clarity, this was eventually lowered to 200 DPI to make the bidding process more practical. Interestingly, TCS had urged CBSE to lower the threshold even further to 150 DPI. While CBSE did not agree to that specific request, it did relax the standard significantly from its original stance. Despite both companies clearing the technical round, TCS ultimately lost to Coempt because the latter emerged as the lowest financial bidder.

Teachers who participated in field exercises prior to the launch have expressed deep concerns, suggesting the system was not ready for such a massive rollout. These warnings seem to have been prophetic, as the board has now been forced to delay the opening of its post-result verification and re-evaluation portal to June 1, 2026. This delay aims to address ongoing technical disruptions and ensure students can fairly request mark verification and photocopies of their scripts.

While CBSE officials maintain that the selection process followed all official guidelines, the combination of diluted standards and a rushed rollout has left many students and parents frustrated. As the board works to resolve these issues, which the vendor's CEO describes as one-of-a-kind complaints, the focus remains on ensuring that the evaluation process is accurate and transparent for the millions of students involved.

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