‘Make reels, back OSM, don’t panic’: Central Board of Secondary Education sends schools talking points amid backlash

Regional offices of the Central Board of Secondary Education circulated a social media toolkit to school principals this week, asking them to publicly defend the board’s controversial on-screen marking (OSM) system, according to documents reviewed by HT.

The document, titled “Material for Principals”, provided suggested scripts and talking points for videos and social media posts. Principals were encouraged to describe CBSE as “highly proactive, empathetic, and communicative regarding these teething issues”.

One suggested statement read: “As with the rollout of any technology on such an unprecedented scale, I know that a few implementation bumps have caused concern… Please, do not panic. I want to reassure every student and parent that no child will be allowed to suffer due to a technical error.”

Principals were also advised to tell students to use the official re-evaluation process if they noticed “a discrepancy between your performance and your reflection on the digital sheet”.

Following the circulation of the toolkit, several schools — including government-run Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya institutions — posted videos on social media defending the OSM system, with some clips closely mirroring the language used in the document.

However, not all school heads participated. A Delhi-based private school principal, speaking anonymously, said they chose not to post any video supporting the system because students’ concerns and stress deserved attention.

Among the schools that uploaded videos was Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 1 Air Force Station Gorakhpur, where a Class 12 student appeared in a video saying the OSM system was not the problem and expressing satisfaction with their marks.

Principal Barrister Pandey told HT the video reflected the school’s own decision and denied following the circulated toolkit.

Another video posted by Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Jajpur featured principal-in-charge Abhimanyu Bhatt praising the system as a “very good initiative” that ensured fair and transparent evaluation.

Delhi Public School Siliguri principal Anisha Sharma also defended the system in a video, using phrases that matched the language in the circulated material.

A senior CBSE official denied that schools had been instructed to post videos in support of the board, while a spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.

The controversy comes amid a surge in requests for answer-book copies after the Class 12 board results. CBSE said nearly one in four students who took the examination had applied for scanned copies of their answer sheets by May 26, marking a sharp rise from last year.