CBSE collected ₹16.47 crore from students after Class 12 results

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has collected a total of ₹16.47 crore (unaudited amount) from students for obtaining scanned copies of answer sheets, verification of marks, and revaluation after the declaration of the Class 12 board exam results for the year 2026. The Board provided this information on 14 October in response to a Right to Information (RTI) application filed by Hindustan Times on 22 August.

In this total collected amount, ₹11.37 crore (unaudited amount) was collected for requests for scanned copies and ₹5.10 crore (unaudited amount) was collected under the combined category of marks verification and revaluation. The Board clarified that they do not maintain separate records for marks verification and revaluation, as the income from both categories is recorded under a single account.

As students' marks increased after revaluation, the Board has declared ₹3.57 crore (unaudited amount) as refunds, which is 21.68% of the total collection. However, the Board has not disclosed details regarding how many students benefited from this, how many unique students applied for these three services in total, or the subject-wise change in marks. Notably, some students told Hindustan Times that they had not received any refund despite an increase in marks.

The Board conducted the Class 12 examinations for 2026 between 17 February and 10 April, and the results were declared on 13 May. This year, the pass percentage decreased to 85.20% from 88.39% (in 2025). Taking into account concerns regarding the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, the Board announced a reduction in fees on 17 May. According to these reductions, the fee for scanned answer sheets was reduced from ₹700 to ₹100 per subject, for marks verification from ₹500 to ₹100, and for revaluation from ₹100 to ₹25 per question. The Board also promised that a full refund would be given if a candidate's marks increased after revaluation.

Students could apply for scanned copies between 19 May and 26 May, while the portal for marks verification and revaluation was open from 1 June to 7 June.

In the RTI response on 28 September, the Board stated that as of 7.30 pm on 20 May, 1,27,146 applications were received for 3,87,399 scanned answer sheet copies. Separately, the Board reported that by 6 pm on 26 May (the extended deadline for applications), 11,37,560 answer sheets had been scanned and sent to students. This figure is nearly three times higher than the copies requested in previous applications, but the Board has not provided any clarification regarding this discrepancy.

In response to questions regarding payment to Hyderabad-based company 'Coempt EduTeck' for the implementation of the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, the Board stated that, according to the records of the Finance Department, no 'sanction order' has been received by the Finance Department to make any payment to any company or firm for scanning the Class 12 exam answer sheets so far. Additionally, in response to questions regarding penalties imposed on the company, the Finance Department also stated that no such information is available.

According to a Hindustan Times report on 1 June, CBSE was planning to penalize Coempt EduTeck due to flaws in online evaluation. The August 2025 tender contained provisions for financial penalties, which included a penalty of ₹1 lakh for a 15-minute delay in rectifying problems noted by CBSE. Additionally, there were provisions for penalties for delays in submitting root cause analysis and for delays in providing technical support or training. However, through a corrigendum on 20 September 2025, the main references to blacklisting were removed, after which Coempt was awarded the contract on 5 December.

Teachers and administrators have criticized this process. The principal of a CBSE-affiliated school in Gurugram, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "OSM evaluation and revaluation was a huge mess. In my decades of experience, I have never seen such massive chaos." He added that one student's marks increased by 30 after revaluation, but due to this delay, many students lost opportunities to apply to foreign universities.

A principal of a school in Delhi stated that more than half of their Class 12 students had applied for revaluation. He said, "One student's marks in a subject increased from 78 to 100, while three to four students achieved full marks in their respective subjects after the revaluation process." The principal further added that the evaluation process was not student-centric and the experience was like "days of harassment and increased anxiety."

Students were also troubled by flaws in the portal. A student appearing for the 2026 exam stated that due to portal glitches, he was unable to submit revaluation requests for 32 questions across five subjects, which could have increased his marks by 27. The student said, "I paid ₹500 and I received all my scanned copies. My IISER Aptitude Test (IAT) was on 7 June and after coming home from the exam, I had filled in 32 questions for revaluation by 10.45 pm on 7 June, but the portal logged me out and despite trying for an hour, I could not log in again."

A former Class 12 student studying at Delhi University stated that she had spent approximately ₹1,000 on scanned copies, verification, and revaluation for five subjects. She said, "Although my marks increased in subjects, I have not received any refund." Her overall score increased from an expected 88% to 89.9%, which was less than the 92% she was hoping for. Another student stated that her marks increased by five to 15 marks, taking her overall percentage from 89% to 92%, but she also had not received a refund.

Pranit Mungli, trustee of Sanskar Bharti Group of Schools in Pune, said that access to scanned answer sheets and revaluation could improve transparency and accountability, but "the process must differentiate between the gap in student expectations and actual evaluation errors." He mentioned the uncertainty among students regarding bandwidth issues, inadequate training, and evaluation accuracy during the transition towards digital evaluation.

Minutes of the 143rd Governing Body meeting of CBSE were also sought in the RTI. The Board replied that "no such meeting as mentioned in the RTI application has been held." Generally, CBSE holds Governing Body meetings in the months of June and December; the last two meetings were held in June and December 2025.

CBSE has not responded to Hindustan Times' questions regarding these figures, refunds, vendor payments, and penalties.