BHUBANESWAR: Ahead of the annual Higher Secondary Examination 2026, the Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) has come under scrutiny following allegations about the agency engaged for digital evaluation of answer sheets.
Allegations surfaced that the firm assigned to scan answer scripts for digital evaluation had been blacklisted in Telangana around 2019 and later changed its name. The company was reportedly barred by the Telangana government over lapses in an examination-related service it had handled that year. A lawyer has alleged that the same firm has now been awarded the scanning contract for the upcoming examinations.
CHSE officials, however, maintained that the agency was selected by the examination committee after verifying the background of all bidders. They added that no complaints have been received so far against the selected firm. “We will look into the matter if any complaint is received,” a council official said.
The examination is scheduled to begin on February 18 and continue till March 21. According to CHSE data, a total of 4,00,736 students have filled up forms this year, including 2,56,042 in arts, 1,14,238 in science, 24,533 in commerce and 5,923 in vocational education.
For the first time, artificial intelligence (AI) will be deployed to secure question papers at all hubs before their distribution to examination centres. Evaluation of answer scripts is expected to begin in April.
Following the allegations, parents have urged the Council to maintain utmost care and transparency in the digital evaluation process to ensure students’ interests are protected.