Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Jun 1: The Congress party on Monday launched a sharp attack on the Centre, accusing it of shielding administrative failures and demanding accountability over alleged discrepancies in the CBSE’s on-screen marking system used for Class 12 evaluations.
Congress leader Pawan Khera, who heads the party’s media and publicity department, said the Prime Minister-led government must take responsibility for what he described as systemic failures in India’s education framework.
In a statement, Khera alleged that the education system has been weakened over the years due to policy mismanagement, institutional decline, and excessive centralisation. He claimed that multiple regulatory and academic bodies, including CBSE and higher education institutions, have suffered erosion in standards under the present administration.
He also called for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, holding him responsible for what he termed one of the most serious institutional failures in recent years.
Khera raised concerns over reported technical issues in the CBSE revaluation and on-screen marking system, including blurred answer scripts, missing pages and incomplete digitisation of Class 12 examination papers. He said such errors reflected a major breakdown in implementation and oversight.
The Congress leader further questioned why internal warnings from teachers and experts regarding alleged flaws in the digital evaluation system were not acted upon before its rollout for nearly 18.5 lakh students.
He also asked about alleged procedural changes in tender requirements, including modifications to scanning quality standards and cybersecurity safeguards, which he claimed may have influenced the selection process for the evaluation system’s implementation.
Raising concerns over procurement transparency, Khera questioned the awarding of the CBSE scanning contract to COEMPT Education Solutions, asking why it was chosen over other established firms and whether due diligence procedures were adequately followed.
He also referred to the company’s earlier identity and past controversies, questioning the rationale behind awarding the contract despite what he described as a questionable track record.
Khera alleged that repeated changes in eligibility criteria during the tender process raised concerns about fairness and possible conflicts of interest, though he did not provide documentary evidence in his statement.
The Congress leader accused the government of weakening India’s education ecosystem, citing broader concerns such as examination controversies, funding constraints in higher education, and unemployment challenges affecting youth.
He urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure accountability rather than “shielding failure,” arguing that systemic reforms are urgently needed to restore trust in examination and evaluation processes.
The Centre has not yet responded to the allegations raised in the statement.