'I take responsibility': Dharmendra Pradhan amid CBSE OSM controversy
What's the story
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has taken responsibility for the recent discrepancies in the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. "I ake responsibility. It will be fixed, a solution will be found," he said. He assured students and parents that "no one will be spared" if any irregularities are found in the evaluation process. The statement comes after several complaints from students about blurred scanned copies, unchecked answers, portal crashes, payment issues, and confusion during re-evaluation.
Digital defense
Pradhan defends board's new digital evaluation model
After a meeting with CBSE officials in Delhi, Pradhan defended the board's new digital evaluation model. He said that out of 17 lakh students who took the exam, 98 lakh answer scripts were maintained. He said each answer book has about 40 pages, totaling nearly "40 crore scanned copies." He called the OSM system "a progressive instrument" already being adopted by institutions across the world.
Political response
Politics can be done later, says Pradhan
The controversy has also become a political issue, with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi questioning the handling of the matter. Responding to Gandhi's criticism, Pradhan said CBSE had clarified its position and followed government procurement rules. He accused Gandhi of opposing systems linked to "Digital India" and scientific progress. "Politics can be done later," he said, emphasizing that student mental stress should not increase further due to political statements.
Student assurance
CBSE extends deadline for applying for scanned answer books
The CBSE has extended the deadline for applying for scanned answer books and assured students that all genuine concerns would be reviewed by subject experts. This was the third time an extension had been granted for applications to obtain scanned copies of answer sheets. On May 22, CBSE announced extensions of the deadline to May 23 and then May 24. The latest deadline was extended to May 25.