OMR answer sheets to now be sent to regional offices immediately after the exam
More than halfway through its first term Board examination schedule, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has decided to change its evaluation system and stop same day correction of answer sheets in examination centres for the remaining Class 12 exams.
Also Read: Squeezed timelines, new format mar CBSE first term exams
In a circular issued by CBSE Controller of Examinations Sanyam Bhardwaj on Wednesday, about 14,000 exam centres were given directions for a new system starting on December 16, until the exams conclude on December 30.
“All the Centre superintendents will pack and seal the OMR [optical mark recognition] sheets within 15 minutes after the examination is over, in the presence of the Observer. The Centre Superintendent and Observer will sign on the sealed parcel and mention the time of packing also. Once OMRs are packed and sealed, the same will be dispatched to the concerned Regional Office,” said the circular.
The circular also detailed instructions for printing question papers after 10.45 a.m., once all students have entered the examination centre.
Due to the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the full or partial cancellation of Board exams in the last two academic years, the CBSE introduced a new system of two Board exams for 2021-22. Worries over infections drove the decision to reduce the duration of the ongoing first term Board exam to just 90 minutes, and introduce a multiple choice question paper format to be answered using OMR answer sheets. Apart from machine scanning, the answer sheets were also manually evaluated at the exam centre itself within the two-and-a-half-hours following the exam.
The number of exam centres were also more than doubled from 6,000 to about 14,000 to allow for better distancing and to enable most students to write their exams in their own schools rather than travelling to another centre.
However, since the examination began on November 16, and especially after major subjects began this month, complaints have arisen about the new format. Mistakes in question papers were compounded by an unfamiliarity with OMR sheets, especially among younger Class 10 students. Last week, the CBSE issued fresh directions to students to write the alphabet of their answer choice in capital letters alongside the blacked out options on the OMR sheet, due to difficulties in deciphering small letters by manual evaluators. Fears were expressed that the printing of question papers being done on school premises on the morning of the exam, as well as manual evaluation happening at the same examination centre, could lead to unfair practices.
The Board seems to be responding to some of those concerns with the circular issued on Wednesday. However, Class 10 examinations have now concluded, and Class 12 students are more than halfway through their schedule as well.
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