In a significant move to prioritize student mental health and standardize support systems across CBSE-affiliated schools, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has launched a mandatory Online Remote Invigilation Examination (Proctored Assessment) for school counseling and wellness teachers (socio-emotional counselors) as part of its capacity-building and quality-assurance framework.
This new capacity-building initiative aims to assess and certify approximately 10,000 socio-emotional counselors across CBSE-affiliated schools, ensuring that the professionals guiding students are equipped with the highest standards of ethical and practical expertise.
Moving Beyond Traditional Exams
Student well-being is more complex today than ever before. Recognizing this, the CBSE’s new assessment is designed to go beyond rote memorization. Instead, this assessment goes beyond a traditional exam by evaluating counselors' skills, ethical understanding, and practical application, ensuring they are well prepared to support students' well-being. Conducted on an AI-enabled platform (DIGI-EXAM), it ensures a secure, transparent, and standardized evaluation process while promoting familiarity with digital assessment tools. This initiative thus aims to establish a robust and future-ready assessment ecosystem with a focus on:
- Secure and scalable digital assessment delivery
- Integrity, consistency, and credibility in evaluation
- Equitable access through remote participation
- Alignment with national digital education goals and global best practices
What Schools Need to Do Next
The rollout of this certification is being conducted in phases, with the first batch already commencing in February 2026.
To ensure a smooth process, the CBSE has issued a clear directive to all affiliated schools: School administrations must ensure their Counselors' details are accurate and up-to-date on the OASIS portal. The Board will use this data to nominate and communicate with counselors for their upcoming examination slots.
By integrating rigorous, AI-backed evaluations with advanced technology, the CBSE is taking a forward-looking approach to mental health. This initiative ensures that as the emotional and psychological needs of students evolve, the counselors tasked with supporting them are fully equipped, certified, and ready to help.
