MUSCAT : Across Oman, where around 2,200 students took the CBSE Class 12 exams, more than 130 students are reported to have not cleared the examination, triggering concern among parents, educators and school administrators.

According to feedback shared by members of the Board of Indian Schools Oman, formal representations have been submitted to the CBSE on behalf of affected students and parents expressing their grievances. However, they do not expect this to lead to any major changes, noting that similar concerns have also been reported from other regions and are not limited to Indian students in Oman.

Declared last week, the results have shown a decline in overall performance of students, with the pass percentage falling to 85.20 percent from 88.39 percent last year, even as a higher number of students appeared for the examinations.

Social media discussions have also highlighted frustration among students, with some alleging that evaluation through the digital OSM system may have contributed to inconsistencies in marking, particularly due to concerns over scanned answer sheet quality and stepwise evaluation methods. “This sudden chaos is nothing but a diversion tactic to bury the massive NEET paper leakage crisis,” stated one distraught Muscat-based parent.

Several parents have also stated that they believe the results do not reflect student performance in school-based assessments and competitive examinations, with some pointing out cases where high achievers in entrance tests such as JEE Main reportedly failed to meet the minimum 75 percent requirement in board exams needed for admission to premier institutions in India.

Many have raised questions about what they describe as unusually low scores in key subjects such as Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry, with some claiming discrepancies between school performance, competitive exam results and final board marks.

Meanwhile, reports from India have also pointed to a broader national decline in CBSE Class 12 performance metrics, with analysts linking the drop to the introduction of the OSM evaluation system, which aims to standardise marking and improve transparency.

The Education Secretary in India has attributed variations in scores to stricter adherence to marking schemes designed by subject experts, which emphasise conceptual understanding over procedural answers.

The CBSE has defended the system, stating that OSM ensures fairness and consistency in evaluation across regions and subjects, while also offering students options for verification, re-evaluation, and access to photocopies of answer sheets.

However, students and parents argue that the grievance redressal process is costly and time-consuming, particularly for those already facing pressure related to university admissions and competitive examinations.

CBSE has opened channels for rechecking and verification, though revised marks may increase or decrease after review.

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