26 March, Chandigarh- Democratic Teachers Front (DTF) strongly condemned the decision of Punjab School Sikhya Board to conduct on-screen paper marking for the Social Sikhya subject of Annual Examination 2026. They stated that the Sikhya Board, in order to avoid sending hard copies of papers to evaluation centers, has issued instructions to teachers to evaluate papers online sent to their IDs. DTF has demanded that this system be immediately stopped and the previously used offline method be adopted.
Providing detailed information, State President of Democratic Teachers Front Vikramdev Singh, General Secretary Mahinder Kauryanwali, and Finance Secretary Ashwani Awasthi stated that Punjab School Sikhya Board has instructed teachers to evaluate answer sheets on computer screens after sending them online to their IDs. Instead of marking from hard copies, evaluating soft copies of answer sheets opened on computer screens is not only difficult but is also causing strain on eyesight.
In addition, due to problems in submitting marks after paper marking, teachers have lodged objections with center supervisors, stating that due to technical issues while submitting marks, many teachers have to re-enter the marks of entire papers from the beginning. Teachers informed DTF leaders that they are having to enter marks three times for each paper before successful submission. As a result, it is taking 40 to 45 minutes to complete marking and submission of a single paper.
The leaders stated that on-screen paper marking will also increase the chances of incorrect marking, and in such a situation, Punjab School Sikhya Board will be responsible for any harm to students’ future. They said that while marking from hard copies is certainly the work of teachers, entering and submitting marks online is not the work of teachers but of data entry operators.
DTF clarified that it is not against technology, but is strongly opposed to unnecessary harassment of teachers. They further stated that even now, Punjab School Sikhya Board does not provide any payment for paper marking of Class 8, and for Class 10, the amount given is only 7.50 rupees, which is very minimal, whereas the amount given by the Central Board is 23.75 rupees, which is much higher.
In such a situation, DTF stated that it will not tolerate the imposition of on-screen marking on teachers and demanded its withdrawal. The leaders demanded that teachers should be provided with hard copies of papers for marking and that the work of entering marks should be assigned to data entry operators.