Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan assumes full responsibility for recent CBSE evaluation discrepancies, pledging strict penalties for intentional misconduct while ensuring no student query remains unaddressed during the Class 12 re-evaluation process.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has formally accepted responsibility for the technical discrepancies observed in the CBSE’s evaluation process, assuring that strict action will be taken against any individuals found intentionally responsible for irregularities affecting students. This statement follows a high-level meeting held on Thursday, May 28, 2026, at the CBSE headquarters, where officials addressed pressing technical and payment-related concerns faced by students during the re-evaluation and verification phases.
Speaking to the press after the meeting, the Minister highlighted the massive scale of the operation, noting that 17 lakh students appeared for the examination, generating 98 lakh answer sheets, each containing 40 pages, resulting in nearly 40 crore scanned pages. He described the CBSE On-Screen Marking system as a first-of-its-kind, student-centric, and globally accepted initiative designed to enhance transparency in evaluations. Acknowledging that discrepancies have surfaced during this initial implementation, Pradhan emphasized that the Board is actively working to resolve all concerns raised by students regarding their Class 12 examination results.
To support the CBSE’s technical team, the Minister announced that experts from IIT Kanpur and IIT Madras have been engaged to review the software and address the identified issues. Furthermore, following consultations with the Finance Ministry, the payment gateways of four major public sector banks-State Bank of India, Indian Bank, Bank of Baroda, and Canara Bank-have been integrated into the CBSE portal. This integration aims to create a seamless experience for students attempting to access their results or request re-evaluations.
The row surrounding the examination results escalated after numerous Class 12 students alleged scoring discrepancies and claimed that the scanned copies of their answer sheets uploaded by the Board did not match their handwriting. These allegations raised significant concerns regarding potential answer-sheet mismatches within the digital evaluation framework. In response, the CBSE stated that its On-Screen Marking system is backed by a secure and robust IT platform that has been tested and certified through empanelled security audits. The Board emphasized that its robust digital infrastructure includes multiple quality checks and safeguards to ensure the secure scanning and processing of answer books.
The Minister also addressed political criticism, specifically responding to remarks made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Gandhi had previously described the CBSE examination results as marred by "massive irregularities" and demanded an independent judicial inquiry and the constitution of a Special Investigation Team to investigate the matter. He also alleged that a firm with a murky past in Telangana had been handed the contract for the digital evaluation. Pradhan countered these claims by stating that the procurement process adhered to the Government of India’s policies. He accused Gandhi of being "frustrated" due to continuous electoral defeats and opposed to technological progress, citing the Leader of Opposition’s historical stance against reforms like Digital India and EVMs.
“We take responsibility for any issues students face and apologize for them. I assure you that anyone found intentionally responsible for these discrepancies, regardless of their position within or outside CBSE, will not be spared,” Pradhan declared, urging political parties to avoid politicizing the issue and prioritizing the reduction of student stress. The Minister reiterated that the solution is being actively pursued and that no student query would be left unaddressed as the Board works to restore confidence in the examination system.
The Minister’s assurance of strict action against guilty parties, coupled with the involvement of IIT experts, signals a rigorous effort to rectify technical flaws in the Class 12 re-evaluation. As the Board continues to address student concerns and integrate additional banking gateways, the immediate impact will likely be a stabilization of the assessment process. However, the political fallout and allegations regarding vendor selection may lead to prolonged scrutiny of CBSE’s digital infrastructure, potentially influencing future procurement policies and the adoption of technological reforms in national education standards.
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