Pradhan promises action on OSM lapses
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday addressed the controversy surrounding On-Screen Marking (OSM) for class 12 examination results, saying he takes responsibility, and assuring students and parents that “no one will be spared” if irregularities are found in the evaluation process.
“I take responsibility. It will be fixed,” Pradhan said after chairing a high-level review meeting at the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) headquarters. Pradhan directed officials to take necessary measures to ensure that issues faced by students are resolved in a timely and transparent manner.
The meeting was attended by School Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar, CBSE Chairperson Rahul Singh, directors of IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur, and senior officials from the Ministry of Education, and others, a ministry statement read.
Pradhan, who has been facing the heat from all quarters after the NEET cancellation due to paper leaks, followed the CBSE digital marking controversy, said any lapses or negligence, whether within or outside the system, will not be tolerated and strict action will be taken in such cases.
The meeting came after the CBSE defended its digital evaluation system, saying the OSM process was backed by a “secure and robust IT platform”.
The board said that the platform has been “tested and certified through empanelled security audits” and is supported by a “robust digital infrastructure” with multiple quality checks and safeguards for secure scanning and processing of answer books.
The education minister reviewed the progress of post-result services with a focus on strengthening student support systems, improving the evaluation and monitoring framework, enhancing the CBSE digital platform, and making examination-related services more accessible and efficient for students.
According to the ministry, an expert technical team comprising professors from IIT Madras and specialists in digital systems has been tasked with reviewing portal stability, server capacity, login management and payment gateway integration to ensure seamless and uninterrupted services for students.
Addressing students, the CBSE posted on X that answer books are “safe” and have been processed through “multiple quality-control mechanisms”. The statement comes amid controversy over the award of a contract related to digital evaluation of answer books for class 12 board exams 2026 to a firm and claims circulating on social media regarding the alleged compromise of its OSM system. The CBSE rejected allegations regarding the award of contract to Coempt Edutech, saying the claims were erroneous, misleading and not based on facts. It said the contract was awarded after following due procedure under the General Financial Rules.
NTA revises CUET dates
New Delhi: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has released revised examination dates and admit cards for the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) 2026 for admissions to undergraduate courses that were rescheduled from May 28 owing to Eid-ul-Azha. According to the NTA, the examinations will now be conducted on May 31, June 6 and June 7. The NTA said that admit cards for candidates appearing for the test on May 31 have been released and they can be downloaded from the official website.
