Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan takes responsibility for irregularities in CBSE answer sheet

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who took responsibility for the problems that have surfaced with the new On-Screen Marking (OSM) process used by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), on Thursday said that strict action will be taken against anyone found willfully responsible for irregularities involving students.

“It was the first time CBSE (OSM process) was used and some irregularities came to light. I take responsibility for it and assure you that a solution will be found. We are working on it. We will not leave any question of a student unanswered,” he said.

Many Class 12 students had alleged irregularities in scoring and also claimed that the scanned copies of their answer sheets uploaded by the board did not match their handwriting, raising concerns on social media about possible mix-ups in the OSM system.

“OSM’s Concerns Are Addressed”

Under the OSM system, physical answer sheets have been scanned and uploaded to a secure digital platform so that assessors can assess them on computers instead of handling paper booklets.

“17 lakh students have appeared for the exam and we have 98 lakh answer sheets. Each answer sheet has 40 pages. So nearly 40 lakh pages have been scanned,” Mr Pradhan said. CBSE said that around 4 million students have accessed around 11 million answers through the portal so far.

“The committee is working to address all concerns raised by students regarding the evaluation and revaluation of Class 12 exams,” the minister said after chairing a meeting at the CBSE headquarters to address technical and payment-related issues faced by students during the revaluation and verification processes.

Review of the assessment process

The evaluation meeting was attended by Secretary, Ministry of Education, Chairman CBSE, Principals of IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur along with senior officials from the Union Ministry of Education, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, Public Sector Banks and CBSE.

Also Read: Why CBSE Must Rethink Its Screen Marking System

CBSE Class XII evaluation processes and post-result processes were discussed and reviewed in the meeting. “Mr. Pradhan has taken note of the reports regarding login access issues, heavy server load and post examination service portal payment related issues,” noted a senior education official.

An expert technical team consisting of professors from IIT Madras and digital systems specialists was tasked to review the portal stability, server capacity, login management and payment gateway integration to ensure uninterrupted services to students.

Integrated payment

Discussions focused on providing a student revaluation portal, strengthening CBSE’s digital platforms, improving mechanisms to facilitate student examinations and results, and improving assessment and monitoring systems. The stakeholders also highlighted measures taken to support students and outlined future plans for robust, transparent and technology-enabled service delivery for the benefit of students.

The official added that after discussions with the finance ministry, the payment gateways of four public sector banks — State Bank of India, Indian Bank, Bank of Baroda and Canara Bank — have been integrated with the CBSE portal to make the system more seamless for students.

“Congress Against Technological Progress”

Mr Pradhan also criticized Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on alleged irregularities in the CBSE examination system, saying he was “frustrated” and “against” technological advancement.

The minister’s response came a day after Mr Gandhi said the CBSE examination results were marred by “massive irregularities” and demanded an independent judicial inquiry and the setting up of a special investigation team (SIT) to uncover the truth behind the “whole scam”. He also accused the CBSE of awarding the digital recorder evaluation contract to a Telangana firm with a shady past.

“Yesterday, CBSE has given its response on this matter. It is in line with Government of India’s public procurement policy. I want to assure everyone that no one will be spared if any irregularities are found,” Mr Pradhan said.

Mr. Pradhan added that the Congress leader appeared “frustrated” due to constant electoral defeats. “But as far as Rahul Gandhi is concerned, he seems to have reached a different state of mind. He seems to be frustrated due to constant electoral defeats. He was against SIR, he used to be against EVMs and he was against Digital India. He does not seem to be behind the scientific progress of India,” he said.

The minister urged political parties to avoid politicizing the issue and stressed that reducing stress among students should remain a priority.

Published – 28 May 2026 13:12 IST