I take responsibility: Dharmendra Pradhan breaks silence on CBSE OSM controversy
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan addressed the growing controversy around CBSE's On-Screen Marking system, saying he takes responsibility for the OSM discrepancies and student inconvenience, and promising action if irregularities are found. He also urged political parties not to increase stress among students amid complaints over scanned answer sheets and evaluation issues.
As outrage continues over CBSE’s On-Screen Marking system, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has finally addressed the controversy, 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, a solution will be found. We are all working on that task," he said.
The minister’s remarks come after days of complaints from students over blurred scanned copies, alleged unchecked answers, portal crashes, payment issues and confusion during the re-evaluation process.
Speaking after a meeting with CBSE officials in Delhi, Pradhan defended the Board’s new digital evaluation model while also acknowledging the stress students have faced.
"Out of the 17 lakh students who took the exam, we have maintained the answer scripts of 98 lakh copies," he said.
According to the minister, each answer book contains around 40 pages, taking the total number of scanned pages to nearly "40 crore scanned copies".
He described the On-Screen Marking system, or OSM, as "a progressive instrument" already being adopted by institutions globally.
"It is student-centric and designed for students, ensuring they receive transparent information about their marks," he added.
'NO ONE WILL BE SPARED'
The controversy surrounding CBSE’s post-result process has now snowballed into a political issue, with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi questioning the handling of the matter and demanding accountability.
Responding to Gandhi's criticism, Pradhan said CBSE had already clarified its position and insisted that the process followed government procurement rules.
"I want to assure everyone that if any irregularities are found, no one will be spared," he said.
He also accused Rahul Gandhi of repeatedly opposing systems linked to "Digital India" and scientific progress.
"Politics can be done later. Right now, the most important thing is that the mental stress of these students and examinees should not increase further," Pradhan said.
The minister also appealed to political leaders and the public not to make statements that could worsen anxiety among students already worried about marks, verification and re-evaluation.
WHY THE CBSE OSM ISSUE BLEW UP
The controversy erupted after thousands of students reported problems while accessing scanned copies of their evaluated answer sheets.
Many claimed pages appeared blurred or incomplete, while others alleged answers were left unchecked or incorrectly marked. Several students and parents also reported repeated payment failures and portal crashes during peak traffic hours.
CBSE later extended the deadline for applying for scanned answer books and issued a public statement urging students to "not feel anxious", assuring them that all genuine concerns would be reviewed by subject experts.
Even as the Board continues damage control, the OSM system has now become one of the biggest CBSE controversies in recent years, raising larger questions around transparency, digital infrastructure and student trust in high-stakes exams.