NEW DELHI: Hyderabad-based Coempt Edutek Private Limited, which has faced criticism over its On-Screen Marking (OSM) system used for re-evaluating Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 12 answer sheets, will continue to handle the process, according to news agency ANI.However, CBSE has now transferred all relevant data from Coempt’s servers to its own servers as a safeguard against potential data breaches and cyberattacks.“Coempt Eduteck Pvt Ltd will continue scanning answer sheets for re-evaluation. Its OSM platform will be used for the process. Steps have been taken to secure the portal against data breach and possible cyber attacks. CBSE has shifted all answer-sheet data and records from Coempt’s servers to CBSE servers for greater control and security,” sources told ANI.CBSE has been embroiled in controversy after some Class 12 students alleged that the scanned copies of their answer sheets uploaded by the board did not match their handwriting, raising concerns about possible mismatches in the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system.The board’s OSM project has also come under scrutiny after procurement records showed that Coempt Edutek narrowly surpassed Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in the technical evaluation before securing a decisive lead with a substantially lower financial bid.Also Read | CBSE debacle: Coempt edged past TCS in tech evaluation, lens now on tender designThe evaluation process has prompted questions among some procurement observers over whether the tender criteria favoured firms with specialised examination-scanning experience over companies with broader technology and systems integration capabilities.The contract covers the scanning and digital evaluation of nearly 9.9 lakh Class 12 answer books under CBSE’s fully digitised evaluation system, introduced this year.However, CBSE has rejected allegations surrounding the award of the contract to Coempt Edutek, describing them as “misleading” and “not based on facts.”
