India's CBSE Exam Scandal Sparks Student Outrage, Pressures Modi Government

New Delhi, India – Millions of students in India are reeling from uncertainty after the results of the CBSE Class 12 board exams were called into question over accuracy concerns. The scandal has fueled criticism targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The CBSE exam, one of the world's largest high-stakes tests with over 1.7 million candidates this year from February 17 to April 10, faced a barrage of cheating allegations after results were released on May 13. Many students reported scores far below expectations, particularly in subjects like chemistry, and were unable to request re-evaluations due to glitches in the online system.

Nandini Singh, a student in Dehradun, told Al Jazeera: “They are liars and corrupt, stealing our future.” She is among many outraged students whose scores did not reflect their efforts.

Controversial Digital Marking System

CBSE introduced an On-Screen Marking system this year to handle millions of digitally scanned answer sheets. However, the system has been criticized for blurred images, technical errors, server outages, and processing delays. Notably, CBSE awarded a large contract to Coempt Edu Teck, a Hyderabad-based company previously embroiled in a 2019 scandal that drove at least 20 students to suicide after exams in Telangana. Coempt Edu Teck, formerly Globarena Technologies Private Limited, rebranded after public backlash.

Students Uncover Flaws

Students themselves exposed CBSE's mistakes. Vedant Srivastava posted his scanned answer sheet on social media, showing it belonged to another student. After CBSE admitted the error and sent the original copy, his result was corrected. Srivastava's post triggered a wave of protests, with many students reporting similar issues.

Sarthak Sidhant, 18, a recent graduate from Ranchi, published an investigative blog about Coempt Edu Teck's appointment, calling it a story of “how a public organization deliberately plays with students’ futures.” Meanwhile, Nisarga Adhikary, 19, from Bengaluru, found flaws in the grading system and accessed examiner privileges, but many issues went unresolved by CBSE.

Political Fallout

The opposition has fiercely criticized Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. On June 12, the government transferred the CBSE Chairman and Secretary to other posts, seen as an attempt to “cover up” the scandal. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi demanded Pradhan's resignation and an independent probe. Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal called the decision “adding salt to students’ wounds.”

Pranesh Prakash, co-founder of the Centre for Internet and Society, blamed “the flawed system,” noting the government's lack of bug bounty programs. Apoorvanand, a Delhi University professor, said students have “lost faith in institutions” and “know they were cheated but accept it as fate.”

Prateek Singh, another student from Raebareli, lamented: “We are just students. What can we do to fix this?” He said the CBSE re-evaluation website remained inaccessible for days, preventing him from filing a complaint.