CBSE Drops Third-Party Portal for Re-evaluation Amid Security Concerns

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has decided to conduct the re-evaluation of Class 12 answer scripts exclusively through its own portal, citing security concerns with the third-party platform, Coempt Edu Teck's OnMark. This decision comes after students raised issues regarding the implementation of the OnMark system, which they claim negatively affected their scores due to its rushed deployment.

Officials confirmed that the re-evaluation process, where subject experts will review challenged answers, is slated to begin next week. The move aims to ensure greater control and security over student and examination data. Previously, CBSE utilized Coempt's OnMark platform to digitally evaluate approximately 10 million Class 12 answer scripts before releasing results on May 13.

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It is confirmed that re-evaluation of answer copies will take place on CBSE’s website. Security issues on the OnMark portal are the reason behind it. We realised it is better and safer to do it on the CBSE portal so that we have complete control.

While the re-evaluation will now be managed internally by CBSE, the board is not entirely cutting ties with Coempt's technology. According to a senior official from IIT Kanpur, which is assisting CBSE, the board is now running a "patched version" of Coempt's codebase on its own servers. This decision was made after significant security upgrades and testing were applied to the software, ensuring CBSE maintains direct control over its infrastructure.

CBSE has remained tight-lipped about the specific security vulnerabilities that prompted the platform switch, issuing a general statement about maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of the evaluation process. Meanwhile, the IIT team overseeing the technical aspects has indicated that their investigation into the vulnerabilities is ongoing and separate from any internal review Coempt might conduct. Students who have applied for scanned copies of their answer scripts can submit objections through CBSE's post-result portal until June 7.

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The evaluation process carries the highest standards of integrity, confidentiality and sanctity. The procedures and mechanisms put in place by the board are designed solely to protect the interests of students and ensure a fair, transparent and accurate assessment process.