CBSE portal glitches: IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur experts called in to fix re-evaluation system
Synopsis
With the CBSE revaluation portal repeatedly crashing and deadlines being extended, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has called in IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur technical experts to fix the system — a rare escalation that signals how badly the board's new On-Screen Marking rollout has stumbled, and raises questions about whether CBSE was ready for the digital transition at all.
Key Takeaways
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has directed IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur experts to fix the CBSE post-result services portal.
The portal has crashed or remained inaccessible, preventing students from filing revaluation applications and obtaining answer-sheet copies.
CBSE has been forced to extend the revaluation application and fee deposit deadline multiple times due to the glitches.
Expert teams will examine portal stability , server performance , IT infrastructure, login authentication, and payment gateways.
Pradhan defended the new On-Screen Marking (OSM) system while acknowledging teething issues, citing equity benefits for rural students.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has directed professors and technical experts from IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur to step in and overhaul the CBSE post-result services portal, which has repeatedly crashed or remained inaccessible, blocking students from filing revaluation applications and obtaining answer-sheet copies. The move was confirmed by an official on Sunday, 25 May 2025.
What Triggered the Intervention
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) portal has faced sustained technical failures since the declaration of board results, with students and parents reporting that login failures, server outages, and payment gateway errors have made it impossible to access post-result services. The disruptions have compelled CBSE to extend the deadline for revaluation applications and fee deposits on multiple occasions.
Pradhan recently acknowledged shortcomings in the board's new On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, noting that building any new platform inevitably surfaces gaps, and that collective consultation and criticism are necessary to chart the way forward.
What the IIT Expert Teams Will Do
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Education, the expert teams will carry out focused technological improvements to the system's architecture and technical workflows. Their mandate specifically includes examining portal stability and server performance, assessing the robustness of the overall IT infrastructure, and taking corrective measures to ensure that login authentication, user access systems, and payment gateways function accurately.
The intervention represents a significant escalation — moving beyond internal CBSE fixes to bring in specialised academic-technical expertise from two of India's premier engineering institutions.
Pradhan Defends OSM, Flags Equity Concerns
While acknowledging the technical hiccups, Pradhan defended the On-Screen Marking system, describing it as capable of delivering error-free, scientific, and uniform assessment in board examinations. He dismissed criticism of the platform as premature given the scale of the transition.
Notably, Pradhan used the occasion to raise a broader equity argument, stating that the current assessment landscape lacks uniformity — pointing to the disparity in marks awarded to students from well-resourced urban schools versus meritorious students from distant rural schools. He argued that OSM, if implemented correctly, could help bridge that gap.
Student Interests 'Paramount', Says Minister
Pradhan reiterated that student welfare remains the top priority and that CBSE must undertake all corrective measures on an urgent basis to deliver a transparent, efficient, and student-friendly system. The ministry has not yet specified a revised deadline by which the portal is expected to be fully functional, but the involvement of IIT experts signals that a structured technical audit is now underway.
With board exam season at its most sensitive juncture, the pressure on CBSE to restore portal reliability before the next deadline window will only intensify.
Point of View
Every day of downtime carries real cost. Pradhan's defence of OSM as a long-term equity tool may be valid, but it sidesteps the immediate accountability question: who signed off on a portal rollout that could not handle predictable peak traffic? The IIT audit will tell us whether this was a procurement failure, a capacity planning failure, or both.
NationPress
9 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why has the CBSE revaluation portal been crashing?
The CBSE post-result services portal has allegedly been crashing or remaining inaccessible due to server instability, login authentication failures, and payment gateway errors, according to reports. The exact technical cause is under examination by IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur experts appointed by the Education Ministry.
What will the IIT experts do to fix the CBSE portal?
The expert teams from IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur will carry out focused technological improvements to portal stability, server performance, overall IT infrastructure, login authentication, user access systems, and payment gateways. Their mandate is to identify and implement corrective measures to ensure the portal functions reliably.
Has CBSE extended the revaluation deadline because of these glitches?
Yes. The technical failures have forced CBSE to repeatedly extend the deadline for filing revaluation applications and depositing fees, though a final revised deadline has not yet been officially announced.
What is the CBSE On-Screen Marking (OSM) system?
On-Screen Marking is a digital assessment system introduced by CBSE in which examiners evaluate scanned answer sheets on-screen rather than physically. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has defended it as a more uniform, error-free, and scientifically rigorous method of assessment, though its rollout has faced technical criticism.
Why did Pradhan raise the issue of rural versus urban students?
Pradhan argued that the existing assessment system lacks uniformity, with students from well-resourced urban schools potentially receiving different marks compared to equally meritorious students from rural schools. He cited this disparity as a key reason to persist with the OSM system despite its current technical difficulties.
