The Government Schools Teachers' Association (GSTA) in Delhi has raised serious concerns over the newly introduced on-screen marking system (OSM), which they claim led to a sharp decline in CBSE Class XII results this year. In a letter to the Delhi education minister, the association has demanded the withdrawal of show-cause notices issued to teachers, arguing that technical and procedural flaws in the system caused unusually strict evaluation.
Issues with On-Screen Marking System
According to the GSTA, the OSM system was implemented without adequate preparation and practical assessment, despite earlier recommendations to first run it as a pilot project. Evaluators across multiple subjects encountered numerous problems, including blurred scanned answer sheets, uploading of incorrect answer booklets, missing pages, and difficulty reading scripts due to poor handwriting. These issues forced evaluators to adopt excessive caution to avoid errors, which consequently resulted in unusually strict marking in many cases.
Complaints from Students and Parents
Following the declaration of results, students and parents reportedly complained that marks were significantly lower than expected. Many also faced technical difficulties while applying for re-evaluation. Despite these systemic shortcomings, teachers were held responsible for the decline in school-level results. Several teachers received show-cause notices and memorandums, and were threatened with adverse remarks in their annual performance assessment reports, creating an atmosphere of unnecessary stress.
Teachers' Association Demands Action
GSTA general secretary Ajay Veer Yadav stated that teachers were unfairly blamed for systemic issues. He emphasized that every teacher performs duties with complete dedication, sincerity, and responsibility towards students, and holding them solely responsible for such outcomes is neither fair nor justified. The association has urged the government to treat all notices issued to teachers as null and void and to provide educators with a stress-free and supportive environment ahead of the next academic session.
As of now, there has been no immediate reaction from the education department. The GSTA continues to advocate for the withdrawal of notices and a fair assessment of the situation.
