NEW DELHI: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday, attributing his frustrations to a series of electoral defeats and alleging that he does not support India’s scientific advancements. This statement was made in the context of ongoing disputes regarding the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 12 evaluation system.
Pradhan addressed the media in Delhi following CBSE’s response to the evaluation controversy, stating, “CBSE’s response aligns with the procurement policy of the Government of India. I assure everyone that if any irregularities are uncovered, no one will be spared.” He added that Gandhi has historically opposed various technological initiatives, including the SIR system, electronic voting machines (EVMs), and Digital India, which he suggested implies a lack of support for India’s scientific progress.
The education minister emphasized that the government is committed to ensuring that students are not subjected to further stress due to the ongoing controversy. “I take responsibility on behalf of the government for any inconvenience caused, and I urge that now is not the time for politics. The priority should be to alleviate the mental stress faced by students and examinees,” Pradhan remarked.
He also chaired a meeting with CBSE officials at the board’s headquarters to address technical and payment-related issues experienced by students during the re-evaluation and verification process. Following this meeting, he noted that CBSE has initiated the re-evaluation for Class 12 examinations, which saw participation from around 17 lakh students, resulting in nearly 98 lakh answer sheets—approximately 40 crore scanned pages in total. This year marked the introduction of a digital evaluation system aimed at enhancing transparency and supporting student-centered reforms, allowing students to access their scanned answer sheets to review marks and raise inquiries.
Pradhan mentioned that approximately 4 lakh students have already accessed their answer sheets, covering nearly 11 lakh copies. He highlighted the involvement of top institutions and public sector banks to fortify the evaluation system and address concerns raised by students. “CBSE has engaged premier agencies, including IIT Kanpur and IIT Madras, to oversee technology matters. Four public sector banks—SBI, Indian Bank, Bank of Baroda, and Canara Bank—have integrated payment gateways to facilitate the process. The government acknowledges some discrepancies, accepts responsibility, and is committed to corrective measures. We will ensure that every student query is resolved, and accountability is maintained at all levels.”
The controversy arose after numerous students expressed concerns about the scanned answer sheets provided during the re-evaluation, alleging discrepancies between the uploaded copies and their handwriting. A Class 12 student further claimed on social media to have identified vulnerabilities in a CBSE-linked On-Screen Marking (OSM) testing portal.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his administration of remaining silent on the alleged irregularities associated with CBSE’s OSM process, calling for an independent judicial inquiry into the situation. In response, CBSE rejected claims of any breaches in its evaluation system, clarifying that the portal referenced online was merely an internal testing site containing sample data, not the live platform used for board exam assessments.
Rahul Gandhi previously raised concerns regarding the awarding of the digital evaluation contract to a company with past controversies in Telangana, questioning if due processes and background checks were adequately conducted prior to the contract’s allowance. CBSE affirmed that all procurement norms and General Financial Rules were followed during the contract award to Coempt Edutech.
