“I Hold Myself Accountable”: Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan On CBSE OSM Crisis

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday addressed concerns surrounding the CBSE Class 12 Result 2026 On-Screen Marking (OSM) controversy and the anxiety among students over re-evaluation and access to answer sheets. Speaking exclusively to NDTV, Pradhan said the government’s priority was to provide relief to students facing stress due to the issue.

“My responsibility and my sympathy are with students’ concerns. Being the Education Minister, I hold myself accountable. Our responsibility is to ensure relief for students in this tense situation,” he said.

#NDTVExclusive | ‘मैं खुद को जवाबदेह मानता हूं…’: OSM को लेकर बोले केंद्रीय शिक्षा मंत्री धर्मेंद्र प्रधान#CBSE | @DeoSikta pic.twitter.com/kqwn7LfYKF

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Explaining the On-Screen Marking system, the minister said the process of re-evaluation and reassessment was not new and had been conducted digitally even in previous years. However, this year, CBSE introduced the OSM system as part of broader examination reforms.

“Earlier, answer sheets were evaluated manually and mostly within the same zone. Even then, students used to raise complaints regarding lower marks, partiality, or receiving fewer marks than expected in certain subjects,” he said.

Describing OSM as a technology-driven reform, Pradhan said the system had already been adopted by several institutions globally.

“On-Screen Marking is an emerging technology-driven practice and a widely accepted system across the world. CBSE adopted this system as part of major reforms,” he added.

The minister said over 17 lakh students appeared for the CBSE examinations this year, and nearly four lakh students expressed dissatisfaction with their results.

“Every year, students apply for re-evaluation and reassessment. Earlier, around 2 to 2.5 lakh students used to apply for re-evaluation. This year, the number increased significantly, with around four lakh students applying for scanned copies of evaluated answer sheets,” he said.

According to the minister, the sudden surge in applications put pressure on the CBSE portal, leading to technical glitches and temporary disruptions.

“The portal was not strong enough to handle such a large number of applications. CBSE could not successfully manage the load, which led to glitches and crashes. Students faced difficulties for two to three days while applying for scanned copies of answer sheets, and naturally this caused disappointment,” he said.

Pradhan said the issue had now largely been resolved, and additional technical support had been brought in to strengthen the system.

“I have received the latest information that more than four lakh students applied for reassessment and re-evaluation, while around 11 lakh question sets were requested. Students have now started receiving these documents,” he said.

He further said IIT experts, new payment gateways, and PSU banks had been roped in to stabilise the portal infrastructure.

“We are fixing the portal. IIT experts are involved, new payment gateways are being integrated, and PSU banks have also been brought in. All these arrangements will be streamlined within one to two days,” the minister said.

Once the upgraded portal becomes fully operational, students who have received scanned copies of their evaluated answer sheets will be able to raise queries online regarding specific questions, missing pages, or any discrepancies.

“This process also existed earlier. Students will be able to submit online queries regarding discrepancies or concerns related to their answer sheets,” he added.