NSUI protests outside CBSE office over On-Screen Marking row
NSUI workers protested outside the CBSE office in Delhi over the OSM system. The demonstration widened the dispute as parties sparred over the tender awarded for evaluation.
The controversy surrounding CBSE's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system spilled onto the streets of Delhi on Saturday as the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) staged a protest outside the CBSE office in Patparganj, demanding accountability over issues raised by students and calling for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Hundreds of NSUI workers gathered outside the board's office, carrying banners and placards and raising slogans against the Central Government.
The demonstration saw students tie ropes around their hands and sit inside cages, symbolically portraying what they described as students being trapped in a flawed system.
CAGES, SLOGANS AND A SIEGE-LIKE PROTEST
The protest centred on allegations that student concerns linked to the OSM evaluation system were not being adequately addressed.
Demonstrators raised slogans such as "Dharmendra Pradhan, Resign!" and "Stop Anti-Student Policies!" while accusing the government of ignoring issues affecting students.
Speaking during the demonstration, NSUI National President Vinod Jhakhar said the organisation would continue to stand with students across the country.
He alleged that students had been caught in a system that was not functioning properly and claimed there were serious concerns regarding the checking and scanning of answer sheets.
Jhakhar accused the authorities of treating students as part of an experiment and said their future should not be compromised due to administrative failures. He also claimed that students were not receiving adequate responses to their concerns.
Protesters effectively laid siege to the CBSE premises for several hours as they sought to draw attention to their demands.
STUDENT ISSUES TAKE A POLITICAL TURN
The agitation comes amid a wider political row over the OSM system. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi recently questioned CBSE's decision to award a tender to Coempt Edutech, a company that had earlier figured in the 2019 Telangana Board examination controversy.
The BJP, in turn, has countered the criticism by asking why the same company received contracts in Congress-ruled Karnataka and Telangana.
At the protest site, NSUI leaders reiterated that they were standing with students across the country and would continue to press for answers regarding concerns over evaluation, scanning and the handling of answer sheets.
WARNING OF A BIGGER AGITATION
NSUI office-bearers warned that the movement would be expanded if immediate action was not taken on student concerns. They maintained that students' voices could not be ignored and that the government must address issues linked to the evaluation process.
Police personnel were deployed outside the CBSE office and elaborate security arrangements were put in place to manage the gathering.
While the demonstration concluded peacefully, protesters vowed to continue their campaign until their demands are met, insisting that the issue concerns the future of lakhs of students across the country.