Parliamentary panel questioned CBSE officials on On-Screen-Marking (OSM) issues in Class 12 exams. Following this, the Centre formed an inquiry committee to examine the system and transferred the CBSE Chairman and Secretary.
Parliamentary Panel Grills CBSE on OSM Issues
Members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education on Monday asked CBSE officials about responsibility for the problems faced by students due to OSM-related issues in the 12th class examination and emphasised that accountability should be fixed for lapses, sources said.
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports met here and heard the views of the Department of School Education Secretary and CBSE Chairman on the use of On-Screen-Marking (OSM) in Grade 12 CBSE Exams and issues faced by students consequently. The panel also heard their views on application of three-language formula in Class 9 and 10.
Sarthak Siddhant, a class XII student who earlier highlighted the "discrepancies" in the On-Screen-Marking system adopted by the CBSE, also made a presentation before the panel.
Chairman of the committee Digvijaya Singh later said the committee is concerned about the problems faced by students and "will do whatever that can be done in the interest of the students."
"Sarthak Siddhant has made his presentation. It is for the committee to decide (on the replies given by the CBSE)," Singh said. He said members would carefully examine all suggestions and concerns placed before them.
Asked about the committee taking up topical issues concerning students, he said the panel has done so in the past and is doing so now. "This is exactly what this committee has done," he told reporters.
He said a draft report will be prepared and placed before members before its final adoption. "The process is that we have to prepare a draft, the basis of that draft will be put up before the committee and then the committee has to prepare the report," he said.
Sources said CBSE officials answered some of the queries raised by members. They are learnt to have said that re-evaluation portal-related issues have been resolved and students have sufficient time to apply Sources said questions raised by members after the presentation by Sarthak Siddhant will be answered by CBSE.
Sidhant is learnt to have highlighted alleged discrepancies related to the OSM, which involved a tendering process.
Centre Forms Inquiry, Transfers Top CBSE Officials
Hours after the panel meeting, the Centre formed a one-member inquiry committee to examine issues related to the procurement of services for the board's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. It also transferred Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Chairman Rahul Singh and Secretary Himanshu Gupta.
According to an official order, the inquiry committee will be headed by S Radha Chauhan, Chairperson of the Capacity Building Commission. The committee has been tasked with inquiring into matters relating to the procurement of services for the On-Screen Marking System by CBSE.
The Chairperson has been empowered to seek assistance from officers of other offices, as required for the inquiry. Secretarial assistance to the committee will be provided by the Capacity Building Commission. The committee has been directed to submit its report to the Department of Personnel and Training within one month.
Cybersecurity Scrutiny and Re-evaluation Portal Details
Cybersecurity agencies, including the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), are closely monitoring cyberattacks targeting the CBSE On-Screen Marking (OSM) re-evaluation portal, and strict penal action will be taken against those responsible, Education Ministry sources said.
CBSE has been facing mounting pressure following reports of technical failures in its post-result portal and OSM discrepancies in evaluated answer sheets. CBSE launched a portal to address cybersecurity concerns surrounding the OnMark portal operated by its service provider.
On Sunday, the board said it had deployed a team of cybersecurity experts from various government agencies and the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) to strengthen the platform's security infrastructure. The portal will remain till midnight on June 6, 2026.
CBSE has fixed the fee structure at Rs 100 per answer book for verification of issues in scanned copies and Rs 25 per question for re-evaluation of answers. The payment of fees will be accepted only through online modes, including UPI, credit card, debit card, or net banking, ensuring a fully digital and streamlined process.
Panel Also Discusses NEET; Digvijaya Singh Targets Union Minister
The Parliamentary panel also met on Monday and discussed the 'use of pen-and-paper testing versus CBT' and views pertaining to NEET and NTA.
Digvijaya Singh had said that the panel members were unanimous in their stance on the matters concerning NEET-UG and CBSE exams and that they are confident that since Prime Minister Narendra Modi has "taken charge of the matter", it will be brought to a successful conclusion.
He said Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan should either tender his resignation or he should be dismissed.He said PM Modi has been compelled to take matters into his own hands due to Dharmendra Pradhan's "incompetence".
"The fact is, on this issue, regardless of which party they belong to, all the members are unanimous in their stance, whether the matter concerns NEET or CBSE. We are not engaging in this discussion along party lines. We are focusing on how we can bring about improvements to this entire system," Digvijaya Singh told ANI.
"Due to Dharmendra Pradhan's incompetence, the Prime Minister himself has been compelled to take matters into his own hands. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan should either tender his resignation or he should be dismissed...We are confident that since the Prime Minister himself has taken charge of this matter, it will be brought to a successful conclusion in every respect," he added.
Director General, National Testing Agency, Abhishek Singh and Department of Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi were among officials who presented their views. Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, was also present. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)