Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has decided to rope in professors and technical experts from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and IIT Kanpur to help the CBSE ensure a glitch-free re-evaluation process, an official said on Sunday.
Pradhan's direction to involve IIT experts comes in the backdrop of concerns raised by students and parents regarding the CBSE post-result services portal which has allegedly crashed or remained inaccessible for filing applications for revaluation and seeking copies of answer-sheets.
The glitches have forced the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to repeatedly extend the deadline for filling revaluation applications and depositing fee.
Pradhan recently conceded hiccups in the new On-Screen Marking (OSM) system of the CBSE, saying that these were part of attempts to create a new system.
He said that creating a new system may face shortcomings, and only collective consultation and criticism can show the way forward.
A statement issued by the Ministry said on Sunday that the expert teams will implement focused technological improvements of the systems and technical workflows and specifically examine portal stability and server performance, the statement added.
The team will also examine the overall IT Infrastructure robustness and assist in taking corrective measures to ensure that login authentication/user access systems/payment gateways are accurate and in order.
Pradhan reiterated that student interests remain paramount, and all necessary corrective measures need to be undertaken by CBSE on priority to ensure a transparent, efficient and student-friendly system.
He dismissed the criticism of OSM, highlighting its benefits of error-free, scientific and uniform assessment in Board exams.
Pradhan said the time has come to admit lack of uniformity in assessment and award of marks to resourceful parents' wards studying in an urban school and marks given to a meritorious student from a distant, rural school.
In response to widespread technical and payment-related issues faced by students during the CBSE post-result and re-evaluation process, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday held discussions with Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to address the concerns and improve the system.
Following the meeting, it was decided that four major public sector banks -- State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank and Indian Bank -- will extend support to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in strengthening its payment gateway infrastructure and integrating it more effectively with the board's post-examination services portal.
The collaboration aims to establish a more robust payment mechanism capable of handling large volumes of transactions without disruptions. The banks will assist CBSE in implementing stronger payment protocols, ensuring timely processing of payments, resolving transaction failures and facilitating automatic refunds in cases where excess payments have been made by students.
"The banks will enable CBSE to put in place robust payment protocols to ensure timely payments, address payment glitches, automatic refunds for excess payments if any," the Ministry of Education said.
Pradhan also directed CBSE to undertake a comprehensive overhaul of its payment gateway system to prevent recurrence of the issues that surfaced during the post-result services period. The move comes after several students reported difficulties while making payments for re-evaluation, verification of marks and other post-examination services.
According to the Education Ministry, the coordinated effort involving the Ministry of Finance and the participating public sector banks is expected to significantly enhance payment gateway stability, enable seamless digital transactions and provide a smoother experience for students accessing CBSE's post-examination services.
Officials expressed confidence that the upgraded infrastructure will improve reliability, reduce payment-related grievances and ensure that students can avail re-evaluation and related services without facing technical hurdles.
(With inputs from IANS)
