New Delhi: As complaints over technical failures in the Central Board of Secondary Education’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) system mount, hundreds of school principals were sent a social media playbook this week, directing them to boost the board’s rapidly deteriorating image amid widespread backlash, reported Hindustan Times. Following the directives, multiple schools, including government-run Kendriya Vidyalayas and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, posted videos defending the digital evaluation process, the report added.Inside the social media playbookThe toolkit, titled “Material for Principals,” contained scripted talking points for the principals to read out, urging them to describe CBSE as “highly proactive, empathetic and communicative regarding these teething issues.” Schools were also instructed to inform students that in case of discrepancies between their results and performance, they should be routed through the board’s official re-evaluation process, according to the HT report.The document, as reviewed by HT, overtly defended the board’s rationale behind implementing the OSM system, claiming it “has fundamentally improved the structural integrity of our assessments” by enabling evaluators to focus on “content rather than arithmetic.” It further argued that the system facilitates “a more standardised, transparent and eco-friendly evaluation process aligned with the National Education Policy.”With regards to the several reported incidents of mismatched answer sheets, missing pages, blurry images and portal crashes, the document advised principals to assuage student fears and assert that “no child will be allowed to suffer due to a technical error.”How did the schools respond?According to HT, numerous videos, predominantly Instagram reels, were uploaded by students and principals in the wake of the directives, closely mirroring the language mentioned in the circulated document. Prominently, centrally administered institutions under the Ministry of Education, including Kendriya Vidyalayas and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, followed suit.Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Jaipur posted a video of its principal-in-charge, Abhimanyu Bhatt, commending the system. In the video, Bhatt says, “OSM is a very good initiative by CBSE…proper evaluation of answers has been done…teachers got plenty of time to read everything. Grade X students would also benefit from OSM in the coming years,” reported HT.Another video posted by Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 1 Air Force Station Gorakhpur and featuring a Grade XII student, said that the student was satisfied with their marks and did not think that OSM was at fault for the irregularities. When questioned, the school’s principal told HT it was the institution’s decision to post the video and not a response to the toolkit’s instructions.Delhi Public School Siliguri’s principal quoted the document verbatim, while adding that the system was implemented “with a positive outlook, keeping in mind that evaluation will be fair, accurate, faster and transparent.”As per an India Today report, a PM SHRI Hindi teacher, who allegedly worked as an Additional Head Examiner during the copy-evaluation process, publicly praised the OSM system saying she found it “highly beneficial.” “In my opinion, there were only advantages to it. I could not find any negative impact. It also saved a lot of time,” she added.Emerging controversiesIndia Today reported a student claimed on Reddit that teachers were asking them to share social media posts and Instagram stories saying they had “no problem with OSM checking.” The student also described feeling “traumatised” even after passing the board examinations. The claim has not yet been independently verified.A separate post on X alleged that previous-year school toppers from a Kendriya Vidyalaya in Imphal were being asked to endorse OSM, even though the system was only introduced this year. In a video, a student says she is satisfied with her marks and that the “newly introduced OSM system is unbiased and transparent.” She also encourages fellow students to embrace technology.The controversy gained attention after a social media user inquired why students from earlier batches were appearing in promotional clips. He wrote, “My brother from KV Imphal just shared [with] me a video of students being asked to praise CBSE OSM.”“The crazy part is OSM was introduced this year. 2024-25 batch didn’t even study under it, yet toppers are being used for promotion like it changed their board experience,” he added.My brother from KV Imphal just shared me a video of students being asked to praise CBSE OSM 😭The crazy part is OSM was introduced this year. 2024-25 batch didn’t even study under it, yet toppers are now being used for promotion like it changed their board experience. pic.twitter.com/M61S6nRqPL— Mohit Tyagi (@mxtyagi) May 28, 2026CBSE responseA senior official, under the condition of anonymity, told HT that the board “did not instruct anybody to post any video in their favour.”The social media playbook follows hundreds of complaints flooding social media platforms, alleging inconsistencies in uploaded answer sheets, irregularities with the re-evaluation portal, payment glitches and portal crashes during periods of heavy traffic.Also read: CBSE Confirms Answer Sheet Mix-Up; Student Who Flagged it was Called ‘Pakistani’ OnlineAccording to the HT report, as of May 26, nearly one in four of the approximately 1.8 million students who appeared for the Grade XII examinations had applied for scanned copies of their answer sheets. CBSE attributed this 208% surge from the last year to fee reductions announced in May.