Rahul Gandhi alleges CBSE answer sheets scanned with phones, calls it 'fraud'

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has vehemently criticized the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the central government, alleging that answer sheets for Class 12 examinations were scanned using mobile phones. Gandhi's accusation stems from his assertion that the CBSE altered its tender specifications, moving from a requirement for automatic robotic scanners to generic 'scanners' with a reduced resolution. This change, he claims, paved the way for the use of mobile phones by the contracted vendor, COEMPT, leading to issues like blurred copies, missing pages, and unscanned books, which he has labelled as 'fraud' rather than mere 'errors.' The controversy is intricately linked to the CBSE's new On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, introduced for digitizing the evaluation process. Students began reporting discrepancies after the Class 12 results were announced, including scanned answer sheets that did not match their handwriting or attempted answers, blurry PDFs, and incorrect mark calculations. The issue gained national attention following social media posts by students like Vedant Shrivastava, who alleged that the scanned copy of his Physics answer sheet was not his own. In response to the growing pressure and student complaints, the CBSE has acknowledged certain vulnerabilities within its OnMark portal, operated by its service provider. The board has stated that it is actively monitoring these vulnerabilities and has deployed cybersecurity experts from government agencies and IITs to fortify the system. While the CBSE initially termed some allegations as 'factually incorrect,' they have since admitted to acknowledging vulnerabilities and taking corrective steps. Ethical hackers have also flagged security concerns, with one claiming to have accessed key data from the CBSE's cloud storage and posted copies of scanned answer sheets, exposing weaknesses in data protection. These claims have further fueled allegations of a data breach, with Congress leaders like Jairam Ramesh describing it as a "data breach of monumental proportions" that compromises student privacy. Rahul Gandhi has been a vocal critic, targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his silence on the issue and questioning the integrity of the tender process. He has also criticized the CBSE for its post-result fee structure, arguing that students are being charged for errors that are a result of the board's own alleged shortcomings. The Congress party has demanded an independent judicial probe into the matter and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The CBSE, however, has defended its OSM system, stating it is a globally accepted and transparent method of assessment. The board has also taken steps to address student concerns by reducing fees for post-result services like obtaining scanned copies and re-evaluation. Furthermore, the board has stated that cases related to mismatched answer sheets are being handled on a top priority, with experts from IIT-Madras and IIT-Kanpur examining the system. This entire episode highlights a significant debate around the implementation of digital technologies in India's education system, raising questions about data security, the integrity of evaluation processes, and accountability.

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