Should CBSE resort to grace marks for OSM damage control?

Fifteen days after CBSE Class 12 results were declared on May 13, students continue to face unresolved issues with the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, portal crashes, and disputed marks, raising calls for grace marks to prevent admission losses. The board’s handling of answer sheet mismatches and evaluation errors has eroded trust, with students and experts now pushing for emergency measures like awarding 10–15 grace marks to those near eligibility cut-offs, particularly for those just below the 75% benchmark." "article": "Fifteen days after the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) released Class 12 results on May 13, students remain trapped in a cycle of unresolved issues, including the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system failures, portal crashes, and delayed scanned copies. Admission deadlines loom, but thousands of students are still awaiting answers about their marks, with many questioning whether their scores accurately reflect their academic efforts. The chaos has intensified frustration, as students report emotional exhaustion from repeated portal crashes, answer sheet mix-ups, and delayed access to evaluation documents. The OSM system, introduced to modernize evaluation, has instead fueled confusion and distrust. Complaints include blurry scanned copies, delayed answer sheet access, and a viral case where a student allegedly received another candidate’s answer sheet under his roll number. These issues have raised serious concerns about evaluation reliability and digital security, despite CBSE’s denial of a breach. Meanwhile, students hovering near the 75% eligibility cut-off risk losing admission opportunities due to minor mark discrepancies, amplifying calls for intervention. With trust in the evaluation process at an all-time low, experts and student groups are now advocating for grace marks—an additional 10–15 marks—to offset the disruption. The argument centers on fairness: many students are losing university admissions over just a few marks, despite years of preparation. Critics argue this year’s crisis extends beyond marks, involving systemic failures in process and transparency. The pressure on CBSE has never been higher, as social media campaigns and parent groups demand concrete solutions. Students fear their academic futures are at stake, with delayed scanned copies and unresolved disputes leaving them in limbo. Without urgent action, thousands risk missing admission deadlines or being forced into last-minute, less favorable college options. CBSE’s response so far has been reactive, addressing one controversy after another without a clear resolution path. The board must now decide whether to implement grace marks—a move that could restore confidence or further complicate the evaluation process. For now, students and parents await answers, but the clock is ticking as admission cut-offs draw near.