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The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) delayed the launch of its Post-Result Activities (PRA) portal after an IIT-led cybersecurity audit uncovered several critical vulnerabilities in the Board’s digital systems.

The portal, which enables students to access post-examination services such as verification and re-evaluation of answer scripts, was scheduled to go live on June 1. However, following the discovery of security concerns, it was launched only in the early hours of June 2 after extensive testing and corrective measures.

According to officials associated with the review, expert teams from IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur identified at least four vulnerabilities classified as critical or high severity, along with several medium- and low-risk issues. One of the most serious flaws reportedly involved an access-control weakness that could have allowed a user to gain unauthorized access to other students’ answer scripts.

The cybersecurity audit was initiated after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan directed the IITs to assist CBSE amid growing concerns about technical glitches and complaints related to this year’s Class 12 evaluation process.

The review followed a “red team-blue team” testing model. While the blue team, comprising CBSE developers, IIT Madras experts, and the Digital India Corporation, worked to fix vulnerabilities, the red team from IIT Kanpur attempted to identify weaknesses by testing the system’s defenses.

Officials said that after a second round of testing on June 1, it appeared that major issues had been resolved. However, a subsequent red team exercise later that day uncovered fresh vulnerabilities, prompting an immediate response from developers. Following overnight repairs and a fourth round of successful testing, the portal was finally cleared for launch at around 4 a.m. on June 2.

Meanwhile, the re-evaluation process has not yet commenced. Sources indicate that CBSE has decided not to use the Coempt Edu Teck platform, which powered the On-Screen Marking system during Class 12 evaluations. Instead, all student and examination data have been migrated to infrastructure directly controlled by CBSE, and future re-evaluation activities will be conducted through the Board’s own portal.

The development underscores the growing importance of cybersecurity in managing large-scale educational data and examination systems.

The controversy surrounding the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) On-Screen Marking (OSM) system reached Parliament on Tuesday as Class 12 student and whistleblower Sarthak Sidhant appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports to present his concerns regarding the digital evaluation process and alleged irregularities in the tendering procedure.

Following the meeting, committee chairman Digvijaya Singh told the media that the panel would examine the issues raised by students and consider the concerns presented during the discussion. Sidhant has been actively questioning the implementation of the OSM system since the declaration of CBSE Class 12 results, alleging that technical glitches and procedural shortcomings may have affected students.

During his presentation, Sidhant outlined findings from his analysis of multiple CBSE tender documents related to the OSM project. He alleged that several changes in tender conditions appeared to favour a particular vendor involved in the implementation of the digital evaluation mechanism. Among the issues highlighted were modifications to provisions concerning poor performance, blacklisting criteria, financial eligibility requirements, Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) standards, and project qualification norms.

The meeting was attended by senior education officials, including Rahul Singh, Chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education, and Sanjay Kumar, Secretary in the Department of School Education and Literacy. Officials from the Ministry of Education and CBSE were also present during the proceedings.

In response to the concerns raised, CBSE submitted a report to the parliamentary panel explaining its position on the difficulties experienced by students. The board informed committee members that technical issues reported on its portal had been addressed and rectified. It also assured the panel that students would continue to have time until June 6 to apply for re-evaluation and verification of their answer sheets.

The development marks a rare instance of a school student directly presenting concerns before a parliamentary committee on a national education issue. The committee is expected to review the submissions made by both the student and CBSE before deciding on any further recommendations. The episode has intensified scrutiny of the board’s transition to digital evaluation systems and renewed discussions on transparency, accountability, and fairness in examination assessment processes.

The controversy surrounding the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) on-screen marking (OSM) system gained fresh political attention after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi met Class 12 student Vedant Shrivastava, whose complaint about receiving an incorrect Physics answer sheet sparked a nationwide debate over examination evaluation processes.

In a video shared on social media, Gandhi interacted with Vedant, his brother Siddhant Shrivastava, and other students, discussing the online backlash they faced after raising concerns about the CBSE evaluation system. During the conversation, the students recounted being labelled "anti-national," "deep state agents," and even "terrorists" by some social media users. Gandhi responded with sarcasm, questioning the allegations and expressing support for the students.

The issue first came to light when Vedant posted on social media that the Physics answer sheet provided to him by CBSE under its newly introduced on-screen marking system did not match his handwriting. According to the student, the document differed significantly from his other answer sheets and personal notes. His post quickly went viral, attracting millions of views and triggering widespread discussion about the reliability of the digital evaluation process.

Following the public outcry, CBSE reviewed the complaint and informed Vedant that the correct answer sheet had been identified and shared with him. The board later updated his results accordingly.

The episode also drew attention to broader concerns regarding the implementation of the OSM system. Questions were raised about the awarding of the evaluation contract and reports of alleged answer-sheet mix-ups. Another student, Sarthak Sidhant from Jharkhand, published an independent blog examining the tender process, prompting opposition leaders to demand an independent inquiry. CBSE and the OSM contractor, Coempt Edutech, have rejected allegations of irregularities.

The controversy has emerged at a sensitive time for India's examination system. It follows the cancellation of the NEET-UG examination over a paper leak controversy and recent technical disruptions affecting CUET-UG examinations. Education experts say the incidents highlight the growing need for transparency, accountability and robust safeguards in high-stakes examinations that affect millions of students across the country.

The Gujarat State Primary Education Selection Committee has announced a large-scale recruitment drive to fill 3,966 vacancies in government primary schools across district and municipal education committees in the state. The recruitment includes positions for Vidyasahayaks, special educators, and head teachers under a dedicated initiative for persons with disabilities.

According to the official notification issued by the Directorate of Primary Education, the online application process will begin at noon on June 1 and continue until 5 pm on June 10 through the committee’s official recruitment portal.

The vacancies have been distributed across multiple categories. A total of 987 posts have been announced for Vidyasahayaks, or primary teachers, for Classes I to V in mediums other than Gujarati. The recruitment drive also includes a major push for inclusive education through the appointment of special educators. Around 1,841 vacancies are available for Gujarati-medium special educators for Classes I to V, while 1,067 posts have been earmarked for Classes VI to VIII.

Additionally, 71 head teacher positions have been reserved under a special recruitment initiative for persons with disabilities, reflecting a growing emphasis on inclusive educational administration within government schools.

Officials stated that recruitment for Vidyasahayak posts will be conducted strictly based on merit and in accordance with existing education department resolutions and recruitment norms. Detailed district-wise and municipal committee-wise vacancy lists are expected to be uploaded after the completion of the primary teacher district transfer process.

The notification also outlines eligibility conditions relating to educational qualifications, age limits, reservation policies, salary structure, and relaxation criteria. Candidates have been advised to carefully review the official guidelines and help centre details before submitting applications.

The state government clarified that if eligible candidates from reserved categories are unavailable for specific posts, recruitment may proceed with suitable candidates from the general category as per prescribed rules.

The recruitment drive comes at a time when several Indian states are attempting to strengthen public school systems through expanded teacher appointments, inclusive education initiatives, and improved student-teacher ratios. Education experts note that the large number of special educator posts also signals increasing policy attention toward supporting children with diverse learning needs in mainstream schools.

The initiative is expected to generate significant interest among teacher aspirants across Gujarat, particularly amid growing demand for stable government sector employment and expanding opportunities within the public education system.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is facing renewed criticism over its On-Screen Marking (OSM) evaluation system after a corrected Physics answer sheet shared with a Class XII student appeared to contain manual checking marks, raising fresh questions about the transparency and consistency of the board’s digital assessment process.

The controversy centres around student Vedant Shrivastava, who had earlier alleged that the Physics answer sheet uploaded under his roll number did not belong to him. Following public attention and widespread discussion on social media, CBSE reportedly provided what was described as his “correct” answer sheet. However, the revised copy displayed red ticks, circled scores, and handwritten notations commonly associated with physical evaluation rather than digital assessment.

The appearance of manual markings has now intensified debate over CBSE’s claim that the new OSM system relies on fully digitised evaluation methods. Education observers and students have questioned whether parts of the assessment process were manually reviewed after complaints surfaced, and whether the board maintained uniform evaluation standards throughout the examination cycle.

Vedant’s case has also drawn attention to a broader wave of complaints from students regarding the post-result verification process. Several candidates have reported issues such as mismatched answer sheets, blurred scanned copies and difficulties accessing documents through the portal. Students, including Sanjana and Riya, have publicly raised concerns about whether the uploaded scripts actually corresponded to their written examinations.

The growing number of complaints has shifted the discussion from isolated errors to possible systemic weaknesses in the scanning, tagging and verification process linked to CBSE’s digital evaluation framework.

Introduced to improve transparency and reduce human error, the OSM system allows evaluators to check scanned answer sheets digitally rather than physically handling paper scripts. However, reports from teachers and evaluators suggest that unclear scans, technical glitches and insufficient training may have affected the quality and reliability of the process during its large-scale rollout this year.

Critics argue that the rapid implementation of the system may have outpaced the board’s technical preparedness, especially given the volume of students appearing for Class XII examinations across the country.

Amid mounting scrutiny, the Ministry of Education has now directed expert teams from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur to conduct a technical audit of CBSE’s post-examination services infrastructure. The review will reportedly examine server systems, login mechanisms, payment gateways and the broader IT architecture supporting the OSM process.

Officials hope the audit and subsequent recommendations will help restore confidence in CBSE’s evaluation and verification systems ahead of future examination cycles.

Fresh concerns have emerged over the post-result verification process of the Central Board of Secondary Education after a Class XII student alleged that the Physics answer sheet uploaded by the board under his roll number did not belong to him.

The student, Vedant Shrivastava, raised the issue through a series of posts on social media platform X, claiming that the handwriting, presentation style and answers in the scanned Physics copy were completely different from his own.

The allegation comes at a time when CBSE is already facing criticism from students and parents over portal crashes, payment glitches, delayed access to scanned copies and blurred documents during the Class XII post-result verification process.

According to Vedant, the discrepancy became evident after he and his family compared the uploaded Physics answer sheet with his English and Computer Science papers, which he said clearly matched his handwriting and writing style.

“The Physics answer sheet sent by CBSE is not my answer sheet at all. I know this is not my handwriting and it did not have the questions I attempted,” the student wrote on X.

He further claimed that his teachers and family members also noticed major differences in handwriting style, spacing, sentence flow and overall presentation.

“The handwriting style, letter formation, spacing, slant, sentence flow — everything is different. This is not a minor variation. It is completely different writing,” he stated.

Vedant alleged that the mismatch directly affected his marks and eligibility criteria for higher education admissions. He claimed that because of the marks awarded in Physics, he failed to secure the required 75 per cent aggregate in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics (PCM).

“I am awarded 50% marks for the answers written by some other student. Where is my real answer sheet? Where are my real marks?” he questioned.

The student also raised broader concerns about the transparency and reliability of the board’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, which digitises answer sheets for evaluation.

“CBSE said OSM would improve transparency and fairness. But if answer sheets themselves are getting mismatched, then how are students supposed to trust this process?” he wrote.

Vedant has urged the board to verify his original physical answer sheet, audit the scanning and tagging system, and investigate whether answer sheets may have been exchanged during digitisation.

According to the student, media reports indicated that CBSE may look into the matter and take necessary action. The board has not yet issued a detailed public response regarding the allegation.