Parliamentary panel to consider students' concerns on CBSE's OSM system: Digvijaya Singh

Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports Chairman Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday said the panel would consider concerns raised by students regarding the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) On-Screen Marking (OSM) system after hearing a presentation by class 12 student Sarthak Sidhant. The committee is currently examining the implementation of the OSM system in CBSE Class 12 examinations, along with the concerns related to evaluation practices and transparency in the assessment.

Speaking to reporters after the committee meeting, Singh confirmed that Sidhant made a presentation before the panel and that the committee would deliberate on the issues raised, as well as the responses submitted by the CBSE. "Sarthak Siddhant has made his presentation. It is for the committee to decide (on the replies given by the CBSE)," Singh said.

Emphasising the committee's focus on students welfare, Singh said members would carefully examine all suggestions and concerns placed before them "I am only saying that the whole committee is concerned and will also take into whatever can be done in the interest of the students and their stance. The committee's presentation has always been looking at the issues concerning the students and their problems. This is exactly what this committee has done," he told reporters.

When asked about the timeline for the committee's report, Singh said the process would involve the preparation of a draft report and placing it before members for deliberation. "The process is that we have to prepare a draft, the basis of that draft will be put up before the committee and then the committee has to prepare the report," he said.

Earlier in the day, Sidhant appeared before the committee at Parliament House Annexe and highlighted alleged discrepancies in CBSE's OSM tendering process. The student claimed that changes in tender clauses relating to performance standards, blacklisting provisions and qualification criteria appeared to favour a particular service provider. Sidhant also advocated greater transparency in educational procurement systems and suggested that the OSM system should undergo wider pilot testing before large-scale implementation.

Apart from examining concerns surrounding OSM, the parliamentary panel is also reviewing the implementation of the three-language formula in Classes 9 and 10. Senior officials from the Department of School Education and CBSE are expected to contribute to the committee's deliberations as it evaluates ongoing reforms in the education sector. (ANI)

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