June 18, 2026 01:59 pm (IST)
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CBSE Row
‘I take responsibility’: Dharmendra Pradhan breaks silence on CBSE OSM controversy, promises strict action
New Delhi/IBNS: The controversy surrounding the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) On-Screen Marking (OSM) system has intensified after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan publicly addressed mounting complaints from students and parents over the digital evaluation process.
After days of online outrage over blurred scanned copies, alleged unchecked answers, payment glitches and crashing portals, the minister said he was taking responsibility for the situation and assured action if irregularities were found.
‘I take responsibility’
Speaking after a meeting with CBSE officials in Delhi, Pradhan acknowledged the concerns raised by students during the post-result verification and re-evaluation process.
“I take responsibility. It will be fixed, a solution will be found,” he said while assuring that authorities were working to resolve the issue.
The minister also stated that strict action would follow if any lapses were confirmed during the evaluation process.
“I want to assure everyone that if any irregularities are found, no one will be spared,” he added.
What triggered the OSM controversy?
The dispute erupted after thousands of students reported problems while accessing digital copies of evaluated answer sheets through the CBSE portal.
Several students alleged that scanned pages appeared blurred, incomplete or difficult to read.
Others claimed some answers had not been checked properly, or marks were incorrectly uploaded.
Parents and students also complained about repeated payment failures, slow server response and portal crashes during peak application periods for verification and re-evaluation.
The growing frustration quickly transformed a technical issue into one of the biggest controversies faced by CBSE in recent years.
CBSE defends OSM
While addressing the issue, Pradhan defended the OSM system and described it as a modern evaluation method already used internationally.
According to him, the process was designed to improve transparency and provide students with better access to evaluation details.
The minister said nearly 17 lakh students had appeared for the examinations, and the Board handled approximately 98 lakh answer scripts.
He added that with each answer book containing around 40 pages, authorities had processed close to 40 crore scanned pages under the system.
Pradhan described the digital evaluation platform as “student-centric” and intended to ensure transparency in marks and assessments.
Rahul Gandhi raises questions
The controversy has also entered the political arena after the Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, questioned the handling of the issue and sought accountability from the authorities.
Responding to the criticism, Pradhan said CBSE had already clarified its position and maintained that the procurement and operational process followed official government norms.
He also accused Rahul Gandhi of consistently opposing initiatives linked to Digital India and technological reforms.
Minister appeals against panic
Pradhan urged political leaders and the public not to make statements that could further increase stress among students already worried about marks and re-evaluation outcomes.
He said the immediate priority should be to reduce anxiety among examinees rather than intensify public panic around the issue.
Meanwhile, CBSE has extended the deadline for students seeking scanned answer copies and urged students not to feel anxious, assuring them that genuine complaints would be reviewed by subject experts.
The OSM controversy has now reignited wider debates over digital infrastructure, transparency and reliability in India’s high-stakes examination system.
#CBSE OSM controversy
# Dharmendra Pradhan
# On-Screen Marking system
# CBSE answer sheet issue
# CBSE portal crash
# Rahul Gandhi CBSE
# CBSE re-evaluation problems
# digital marking controversy
# CBSE scanned copies
# CBSE student complaints
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