CBSE conducted Class 10, 12 exams successfully: MoS Jayant Chaudhary

The Centre told Parliament that CBSE successfully conducted the 2026 Class 10 and Class 12 board examinations amid scrutiny over the new on-screen marking system

The Centre on Monday said the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had "successfully" conducted the Class 10 and Class 12 board examinations. Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary said this in a written reply to the Lok Sabha in response to questions on whether the government had taken note of reports that CBSE recently faced repeated failures in implementing its new examination reforms, ensuring the error-free conduct of the examinations and maintaining transparent communication with students, parents and schools.

 

The response comes days after the Supreme Court sought the Centre's response to a petition alleging irregularities in the on-screen marking (OSM) system introduced for Class 12 board examinations this year.

 

"The CBSE successfully conducted the Class X Board Examinations from February 17 to March 11, 2026, and the Class XII Board Examinations from February 17 to April 10, 2026. In line with the recommendations of the National Education Policy 2020, CBSE implemented the policy of conducting two Board Examinations for Class X from 2026, thereby providing eligible students an additional opportunity to improve their performance. The second Class X Board Examination was conducted from May 15 to May 21, 2026," Chaudhary said.

 

He added that CBSE had also ensured clear and timely dissemination of information and necessary communications to all stakeholders, including schools, students and parents. The schedules of the examinations were not affected by any procedural or communication-related issues. "A robust system of supervision and oversight is in place to ensure the smooth, fair and transparent conduct of examinations," he said.

 

CBSE's 2026 examination cycle came under scrutiny following the introduction of the on-screen marking (OSM) system for evaluating Class 12 answer scripts. Students and parents reported several issues, including blurry scanned copies of answer sheets, missing pages, mismatches between answer scripts and the marking schemes used for evaluation, and alleged errors in awarding marks. Following widespread criticism of the OSM rollout, CBSE substantially reduced the fee for obtaining scanned copies of evaluated answer books, verification of marks and re-evaluation, and announced refunds of re-evaluation fees where students' marks increased after review.

 

The controversy subsequently reached the Supreme Court, which is hearing a public interest litigation alleging irregularities in the OSM system. More than 1.6 lakh students sought verification and re-evaluation of over 3.8 lakh answer books this year. During the proceedings, the Centre informed the court that it had constituted a one-member commission headed by former civil servant S. Radha Chauhan to examine the concerns. During the hearing, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant observed, "Look at the amount of frustration of young children," while the Bench also referred to the "creeping problems" surrounding the OSM system.