Speaking on the controversy surrounding CBSE’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said he takes full responsibility for the matter and assured students that “no
one will be spared” if any irregularities are found in the evaluation process.
“Certain discrepancies have come to our notice, and I take responsibility for them. These issues will be rectified, and appropriate solutions will be worked out. All of us are engaged in this task. We will not leave a single student’s unanswered query or concern unresolved,” the minister said.
The minister made the remarks after multiple complaints were made by students about blurred scanned copies, payment issues, portal crashes, alleged unchecked answers and confusion in the re-evaluation process.
While speaking to the reporters after a meeting with CBSE officials in the national capital, Pradhan defended the new digital evaluation model of the Board and also acknowledged the stress that students have faced.
The minister said that each answer book contained around 40 pages, which takes the total number of scanned pages to approximately “40 crore scanned copies”.
“Around 17 lakh students appeared for the examination, and the answer sheets of each student have been securely preserved. In total, there are 98 lakh answer-sheet copies, with each copy consisting of around 40 pages, which means nearly 40 crore scanned pages were evaluated for the first time by CBSE through the OSM process,” he said.
He called the On-Screen Marking system, or OSM, “a progressive instrument” which has already been adopted by institutions globally.
“OSM is a progressive instrument. Many universities and institutions in India, as well as several institutions across the world, are moving towards this system. It is student-centric and designed for the benefit of students. Through this process, students can transparently access information about their marks, and through scanned copies, they can directly view their answer sheets,” Pradhan said.
“It helps address students’ doubts and concerns regarding whether they received fewer or more marks, or whether any answer or section was overlooked during evaluation. This is the first time CBSE has implemented this system in the country,” he added.
‘No One Will Be Spared’
The controversy over CBSE’s post-result processes has escalated into a political flashpoint, with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi raising questions over the handling of the issue and demanding accountability from the government.
Responding to Gandhi’s remarks, Minister Pradhan said the CBSE had already issued clarifications and maintained that the system was implemented in accordance with government procurement rules.
“I want to assure everyone that if any irregularities are found, no one will be spared,” he said.
Pradhan also accused Rahul Gandhi of consistently opposing initiatives linked to “Digital India” and broader technological reforms.
“Politics can be done later. Right now, the most important thing is that the mental stress of these students and examinees should not increase further,” the minister said.
