CBSE's Damage Control Playbook: Board Sent Social Media Toolkit To Principals To Defend OSM, Says Report

(MENAFN- Live Mint) The Central Board of Secondary Education circulated a scripted social media toolkit to school principals this week, directing them to publicly defend its controversial on-screen marking system, with hundreds of institutions including government-run Kendriya Vidyalayas and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas subsequently posting videos echoing the board's talking points, according to a Hindustan Times investigation.

The document, titled "Material for Principals" and seen by HT, contained ready-made scripts for principals to read out on camera, including instructions to describe CBSE as“highly proactive, empathetic, and communicative regarding these teething issues.”

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The toolkit was allegedly distributed through the board's regional offices and came as CBSE faced mounting criticism over errors and discrepancies in its on-screen marking system, known as OSM, used for Class 12 examinations.

A senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Hindustan Times: "We did not instruct anybody to post any video in our favour."

Journalist Mohammed Zubair shared a collated video of those posted on his X account.

What the CBSE Toolkit Allegedly Asked Principals to Say

The scripted material directed principals to address student concerns with specific language. One of the read-outs included the following: "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 asked to advise students that if they found "a discrepancy between your performance and your reflection on the digital sheet," they should use the official CBSE re-evaluation proces rather than raise public concerns.

The document further stated: "From an academic standpoint, the OSM system has fundamentally improved the structural integrity of our assessments... It frees up our evaluators to focus strictly on content rather than arithmetic, paving the way for a more standardized, transparent, and eco-friendly evaluation process aligned with the National Education Policy."

Which Schools Posted Videos and What Did They Say?

Several videos, predominantly Instagram reels, reviewed by HT showed principals and students repeating phrases that closely mirrored the language in the circulated document.

A video posted by Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 1 Air Force Station Gorakhpur featured a Class 12 student defending the system. "I am satisfied with my marks that I obtained in all subjects. The problems faced by students are a new phenomenon as every year students face such problems. I don't think OSM is the problem," the student said.

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Principal Barrister Pandey told HT the video reflected the school's own position and denied following the toolkit. "Students can share their opinions in the controversy and it was the decision of our school staff that we should post the opinion of our students on OSM on social media," Pandey said.

Abhimanyu Bhatt, principal-in-charge of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Jajpur, posted a video in which he said: "OSM is a very good initiative by CBSE... proper evaluation of answers has been done... teachers got plenty of time to read each and everything. Class 10 students should also benefit from OSM in coming years."

Anisha Sharma, principal of Delhi Public School Siliguri, said in a video that OSM was introduced "with a positive outlook keeping in mind that evaluation will be fair, accurate, faster and transparent," using phrases that appeared verbatim in the toolkit document.

Not Every Principal Followed the Script

At least one principal refused to participate. The head of a Delhi-based private school, who requested anonymity, told HT that the document had been sent directly by the head of the regional office but that they chose not to comply.

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"I saw that Instagram has been flooded with principals supporting CBSE and the OSM process despite knowing very well about the problems it caused to students. The document 'Material for Principals' was sent to me by the head of our regional office. However, I feel we should voice students' concern, stress and agony as their careers are at stake. Hence, I did not make any video in CBSE's OSM favour," the principal said.

How Widespread Is Student Concern Over CBSE's On-Screen Marking?

The scale of student anxiety over the OSM system is reflected in re-evaluation data. As of 26 May, nearly one in four of the approximately 1.8 million students who sat the Class 12 examination had applied for scanned copies of their answer books, a rise of more than 208 per cent compared with the previous year. CBSE attributed part of the spike to a sharp reduction in application fees announced on 17 May.

NEET-UG Paper Leak: CBI Arrests Rise to 13

The toolkit controversy coincides with a separate and serious crisis in India's examination system. The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested 13 individuals in connection with an alleged paper leak in the NEET-UG 2026 medical entrance examination, including two arrested on Wednesday.

The newly arrested individuals are Manoj Shirure, a doctor from Latur, and Tejas Harshadkumar Shah, a physics faculty member at Dr Abhang Prabhu Medical Academy, a coaching institute in Pune. Shirure is accused of facilitating three students, including the son of a coaching centre owner already in custody, in obtaining leaked chemistry questions. Shah is accused of obtaining leaked physics questions from a separately arrested accused.

Also Read | NEET UG 2026 retest: IAF to transport papers to test centres? What we know

"Investigation to unearth the chain as well as the conspiracy in this case is ongoing. CBI has so far conducted searches at 49 locations in various places and seized several incriminating documents, laptops, and mobile phones. Detailed analysis of the seized items is going on," the CBI said in a statement.

The case was registered on 12 May 2026 following a formal complaint from the Department of Higher Education. A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Government Assurances is scheduled to meet on Friday to hear from the Secretary of Higher Education, the Director General of the National Testing Agency and senior CBI and health ministry officials.

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