CBSE Re-evaluation Row: Dharmendra Pradhan seeks detailed report on technical failures

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has sought a detailed report from the CBSE over complaints of technical glitches faced by students and parents during the re-evaluation process, a source said on Saturday. The minister took serious cognisance of issues related to server downtime, payment gateway glitches and operational lapses reported during the process, they said. "Taking serious cognisance of complaints raised by students and parents over technical disruptions during the CBSE re-evaluation process, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has sought a detailed report on server downtime, payment gateway glitches and operational lapses ," the source said.

Officials have been directed to explain the reasons behind the technical failures, preparedness measures and accountability of agencies involved in managing the process, they added. Earlier in the day, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) said it committed to protecting the academic interests of students amid concerns over technical disruptions during the post-result verification and re-evaluation process. In a statement, the board said more than 98.6 lakh answer sheets were evaluated under the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system this year and students were provided the opportunity to obtain scanned copies of their evaluated answer books, followed by verification and re-evaluation as per the framework.

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The board said the response to the facility has been "extremely large", with a very high number of students applying within a short span of time. "At the same time, the Board has received feedback from some students regarding difficulties in accessing the portal during peak demand, delays in payment confirmation, and concerns after viewing scanned copies, such as blurred or missing pages, as well as doubts relating to evaluation, including unmarked or incorrectly marked responses," it said. CBSE said it is continuously monitoring all reported issues and taking corrective measures, including extension of timelines and technical interventions. "Parents and students are requested not to feel anxious if they have encountered such issues. The very purpose of the verification and re-evaluation mechanism is to address genuine concerns in a structured and fair manner," the statement said.

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The board said due to exceptionally high traffic on the portal, some technical disruptions were experienced during peak periods and necessary corrective steps have been taken to ensure students are not inconvenienced. CBSE further said the last date for making applications has been extended by one day till May 24 and the portal for receiving re-evaluation requests will remain available for two days after the last scanned copy is dispatched. The board had earlier begun the process for re-evaluation and verification of answer sheets following concerns raised by some students and parents over the OSM system. The CBSE also revised the fee structure this year. Students can now obtain scanned copies of answer sheets by paying Rs 100 instead of Rs 700 earlier. The fee for the verification of answer sheets has been reduced to Rs 100 from Rs 500, while re-evaluation will cost Rs 25 per question.