Sarthak Sidhant, the 17-year-old student from Ranchi, Jharkhand, who has shot to national fame by highlighting reported irregularities in the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system used by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), backs protests against exam paper leaks, faulty digital marking systems and other technical glitches.

“Protesting is the fundamental right that every citizen should have. Protests are good for democracy,” he told Open, even as the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and other outfits, including student organisations, raised their voices against leaks and other failures by authorities that have badly hurt students. Repeated leaks in high-stakes competitive exams have eroded public confidence, wasting the efforts of lakhs of aspirants.

Recent digital scanning and evaluation of board exams by the CBSE have resulted in severe grading errors, adding to the anxieties of students who are already grappling with hyper-competitive pressure and a coaching-centric system that lays stress not on holistic education but on cracking multiple-choice questions.

Sidhant, who himself was affected by the CBSE’s online marking system, recently appeared before a parliamentary panel where he explained issues with the tendering of the CBSE OSM contract. Sidhant is said to have presented a seven-page copy of his findings before the Parliamentary Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports. To a question on what officials had asked him and the replies he had given,...

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