Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday, 25 May 2025, held discussions with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to address persistent payment failures on the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) post-result and re-evaluation services portal. Both ministers agreed to deploy four public sector banks to overhaul the portal's payment infrastructure and resolve the crisis affecting thousands of students.

Which Banks Are Involved

Following the ministerial discussion, it was decided that State Bank of India (SBI), Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, and Indian Bank will work directly with CBSE to strengthen its payment gateway infrastructure. The banks will also ensure necessary integration with the post-examination services portal, according to an official statement.

The four public sector banks (PSBs) are expected to enable robust payment protocols, resolve existing glitches, and put in place a system for automatic refunds in cases of excess payments.

What the Government Said

'It is envisaged that the coordinated effort with Ministry of Finance and PSBs would ensure seamless digital transactions, improved payment gateway stability and smooth experience for students availing CBSE re-evaluation and related services,' the official statement read.

Pradhan also directed CBSE to undertake a complete overhaul of its Payment Gateway System, signalling that the current infrastructure is considered inadequate for the volume of student transactions.

IIT Experts Also Called In

The bank intervention follows an earlier decision by Pradhan to rope in professors and technical experts from IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur to help ensure a glitch-free re-evaluation process. That move came after students and parents raised widespread concerns about the CBSE post-result services portal allegedly crashing or remaining inaccessible for filing revaluation applications and requesting copies of answer sheets.

The repeated technical failures had already forced CBSE to extend the deadline for revaluation applications and fee deposits on multiple occasions — a disruption that has drawn sharp criticism from students, parents, and educators alike.

Minister Acknowledges System Shortcomings

Pradhan recently acknowledged difficulties with CBSE's new On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, conceding that 'hiccups' were a part of building a new system from the ground up. He noted that 'creating a new system may face shortcomings, and only collective consultation and criticism can show the way forward' — a rare public admission of institutional friction at the Centre's apex school board.

This comes amid growing pressure on the education ministry to ensure that technical failures do not disadvantage students seeking legitimate post-result services. With banks and IIT experts now formally engaged, the government is expected to present a stabilised portal within the coming weeks.