4 min readBengaluruJun 10, 2026 11:47 AM IST
First published on: Jun 10, 2026 at 11:47 AM IST
Written by Neysa Mary
A growing trust deficit over evaluation errors in the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) newly introduced On-Screen Marking (OSM) system is driving Class 11 students in Bengaluru to shift to Pre-University (PU) colleges that follow the state syllabus and international schools. They fear that poor scores in core subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics heavily affect admissions to professional courses alongside CET ranks.
This year, the CBSE evaluated Class 12 students’ board exam answer books digitally for the first time using the OSM system. The results declared on May 13 showed that the pass percentage had dropped from 88.39 last year to 85.29 this year. After flaws were reported, the students who sought access to the scanned copies of their answer books had flagged blurred answer sheets, missing pages, and, in some cases, received another student’s answer book.
Teachers and parents who spoke to The Indian Express pointed to two key reasons behind students moving away from the CBSE curriculum. “The controversies surrounding the evaluation errors were the major reason. The other major hurdle was the three-language policy, where students have to opt for two Indian languages,” said a parent.
Drop in CBSE Class 11 admissions
Sandeep Pai S, chairman, Bangalore Sahodaya Schools, an association of Bengaluru schools offering CBSE curriculum, said the number of admissions has come down.
He said 54 students had enrolled for the science stream in one of the CBSE schools in the city last year, but this year it was just 27. “In the commerce stream, it was 21, and it has been reduced to 11. Usually, going by the number of pass percentages, the numbers should increase. But the CBSE controversy has worried the parents and students. Specifically, they are worried about the evaluation process and fear it can demoralise the children,” Pai told The Indian Express.
Another CBSE school principal, who chose not to be named, also said that the admissions dropped soon after the CBSE fiasco began. “We are trying our best to convince the parents, but how far can we go? They have already made up their minds, and we do not have any confidence either,” the principal said.
Bindu Saji, a teacher at Surana Vidyalaya in Chandapura, said, “Being a parent and a teacher, I felt embarrassed by these corrections and related issues raised on social media.”
Saji has a daughter who completed her Class 10 in the CBSE curriculum, and has now opted for a Pre-University College that follows the state syllabus. “Speaking as a parent, going by whatever unfolded in the last month, I did not dare to put her in CBSE school for Class 11,” she said.
“My daughter had comparatively scored fewer marks in one subject. We wanted to apply for revaluation, but because of the whole controversy, we decided to skip and continue in PU college,” Saji added.
However, Saji said that the CBSE curriculum gave more importance to competency-based education. “Think about the child and the time and effort they put in,” she added.
Earlier, Karnataka witnessed a trend where CBSE and ICSE students joined the state syllabus for Class 11 to help them score more marks. But the trend changed a few years ago, as the students continued in the CBSE syllabus.
(Neysa Mary is an intern with The Indian Express)
Several teachers said that one of the factors for students to give up CBSE was the controversies surrounding the evaluation errors in Class 12 board examination. 
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