Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has taken responsibility for discrepancies in the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) On-Screen Marking (OSM) evaluation process, promising strict action against those found culpable. During a meeting at the CBSE headquarters on Thursday, May 28, 2026, Pradhan addressed technical and payment-related issues that affected students during the re-evaluation and verification phases.
As the re-evaluation for Class 12 examinations approaches, Pradhan highlighted the scale of the task, noting that 1.7 million students participated in the exams, generating 98 million answer sheets. Each sheet comprises 40 pages, resulting in nearly 4 billion pages scanned. He emphasized the board's commitment to resolving all student concerns regarding the evaluation process.
Pradhan acknowledged that this was the first implementation of the OSM system by CBSE, which he described as a globally accepted and student-centric approach aimed at enhancing transparency. He stated, “Some discrepancies have come to light. I take responsibility for this and assure you that a solution will be found. We are working on it. We will not leave any student’s query unaddressed.”
To bolster the technical capabilities of the CBSE, experts from IIT Kanpur and IIT Madras have been enlisted to assist in reviewing the software and addressing the issues. Additionally, Pradhan announced that payment gateways from four public sector banks—SBI, Indian Bank, Bank of Baroda, and Canara Bank—have been integrated into the CBSE portal to streamline the process for students.
Pradhan expressed regret over the challenges faced by students, stating, “We take responsibility for any issues students face and apologize for them. I assure you that anyone found intentionally responsible for these discrepancies, regardless of their position within or outside CBSE, will not be spared.”
The minister's remarks came in response to criticisms from Rahul Gandhi, a Congress leader who alleged that the CBSE examination results were plagued by “massive irregularities.” Gandhi called for an independent judicial inquiry and the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate what he termed an “entire scam.” He also claimed that a company with a questionable background in Telangana was awarded the contract for digital evaluation.
In his rebuttal, Pradhan characterized Gandhi as “frustrated” and resistant to technological advancement. He accused the Congress leader of opposing various reforms, including the introduction of electronic voting machines and initiatives under Digital India. “He does not seem to stand with India’s scientific progress,” Pradhan stated, suggesting that Gandhi's repeated electoral losses have contributed to his current mindset.
Pradhan urged political parties to refrain from politicizing the issue, emphasizing that the primary focus should be on alleviating student stress. The CBSE defended its OSM system, asserting that it is supported by a secure IT platform that has undergone rigorous security audits and includes multiple quality checks to ensure the integrity of the evaluation process.
The situation escalated as numerous Class 12 students reported scoring discrepancies, with some claiming that the scanned copies of their answer sheets did not match their handwriting. This raised alarms over potential mismatches in the OSM system, further complicating the ongoing evaluation process.
