New Delhi, May 28: Amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan assured on Thursday that strict action will be taken if any deliberate negligence or wrongdoing is found in the process.
Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Pradhan stated that the CBSE has launched a significant digital evaluation campaign involving nearly 400 million scanned pages.
He noted, “Out of the 1.7 million students who appeared for the exams, CBSE has secured approximately 9.8 million answer sheets. Each answer sheet contains around 40 pages, totaling nearly 400 million scanned pages. For the first time, CBSE has completed the evaluation process through On-Screen Marking.”
Describing OSM as a progressive and student-friendly initiative, Pradhan mentioned that many universities and educational institutions worldwide are adopting similar systems to ensure transparency and accessibility for students.
“This system helps students view their answer sheets and clarify any doubts regarding their scores. OSM was initiated with students’ interests in mind. However, some shortcomings have emerged, and I take responsibility for them. We will ensure that no student’s queries go unanswered,” he added.
Pradhan further explained that technical and operational issues related to this system are being addressed with the assistance of IIT Kanpur and IIT Madras.
“We have requested expert teams from IIT Kanpur and IIT Madras to investigate this matter. These teams are actively working on resolving these issues. I have also asked the Finance Minister to streamline the payment process and organize the payment gateway. The CBSE portal is now linked to the payment gateways of four public sector banks: SBI, Indian Bank, Bank of Baroda, and Canara Bank,” he stated.
The minister reiterated that accountability will be established if any deliberate errors are discovered.
He emphasized, “A group of professors from IIT is examining this issue. We are taking responsibility for what has happened. If any deliberate misconduct is found, we will not spare those responsible. In a democracy, everyone is accountable, and we are not shying away from answering questions or accepting our responsibilities.”
Responding to Rahul Gandhi’s criticism regarding alleged discrepancies in the CBSE examination process, Pradhan accused the Congress leader of opposing every reform initiative launched by the government.
He remarked, “CBSE has already issued its clarification and fulfilled its responsibilities. This process was conducted according to the Government of India’s procurement policy. If any negligence is found, we will take strict action. As for Rahul Gandhi, his mindset seems to be influenced by continuous electoral defeats, leading to his frustration. He has opposed everything, whether it’s the SIR process, EVMs, or Digital India. He is not keeping pace with India’s scientific and technological progress.”
The minister also urged political parties not to politicize issues related to students.
“I have said this before: this is not the time for politics. Students are already under stress, and we must avoid causing them further anxiety,” he concluded.
Earlier on Wednesday, CBSE dismissed the allegations raised by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi questioning the board’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) system.
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