Joint Investigation Launched into CBSE Portal Disruptions
A four-member technical team comprising experts from the Indian Institutes of Technology in Madras and Kanpur has commenced a thorough investigation into the recent technical disruptions affecting the CBSE portal. The probe focuses on a series of reported issues, including failed payment transactions, server outages, and difficulties encountered during answer sheet uploads.
According to V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, the team began its work on Monday evening. He emphasized that the core objective is to identify the root cause behind these recurring problems that have frustrated students and parents alike.
“We experienced roughly two days of intermittent difficulties,” Kamakoti stated. “Our task is to determine whether this stemmed from a technical fault, a development-related oversight, or potentially something more serious such as a cyber intrusion. A comprehensive review is underway to ensure such issues do not repeat themselves in the future.”
Portal Stability Restored for 72 Hours
Kamakoti confirmed that the CBSE portal has remained stable for the past 72 hours. The investigation follows directives from Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who instructed both institutions to deploy technical specialists to ensure the smooth completion of CBSE’s re-evaluation process without further interruptions.
The director highlighted that CBSE’s recently introduced On-Screen Marking (OMS) system was designed to enhance transparency in the evaluation process. This digital approach allows students to view their checked answer scripts online, providing clarity on how marks were awarded or deducted.
“CBSE deserves credit for this progressive initiative,” Kamakoti remarked. “The system significantly improves transparency. However, somewhere along the line, issues emerged within the payment gateway or related financial transaction systems that need to be addressed.”
Comprehensive Technical Assessment Planned
The investigative team is set to conduct an exhaustive technical evaluation of both the website and its underlying infrastructure. Particular attention will be paid to identifying where coordination broke down between the CBSE portal and payment processing systems during fee submissions.
The team composition includes two specialists from IIT Madras — one with extensive experience in large-scale software operations and another focused on data analytics. Additionally, two faculty members from IIT Kanpur have been integrated into the investigation unit.
Answer Sheet Quality Concerns Under Review
Regarding complaints about improperly uploaded or blurry answer sheets, Kamakoti acknowledged that the team has not yet reached that stage of the investigation. He assured that the scanning and uploading procedures would also come under scrutiny during the review process.
He noted that the conversion of physical answer sheets into digital format involves manual intervention at the initial stages, meaning the possibility of human error cannot be entirely ruled out. Despite these challenges, Kamakoti expressed strong support for the OMS system, emphasizing its value in helping students and parents better understand the evaluation methodology.
“Students now have the opportunity to see exactly what happened with their answer sheets,” he explained. “This represents a significant step forward in bringing greater accountability and openness to the education system.”
He also acknowledged that the simultaneous access by a massive number of students likely placed considerable strain on the portal’s bandwidth and server capacity, potentially contributing to the technical difficulties experienced.
Perspectives on NEET UG Examination Format
When questioned about the possibility of conducting NEET UG in Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode, Kamakoti drew a clear distinction between the CBSE portal and CBT examination infrastructure. He pointed out that examinations such as JEE Main, JEE Advanced, and GATE have been successfully conducted in CBT format for several years.
However, he identified the sheer volume of candidates as the primary obstacle for NEET UG. With approximately 24 lakh aspirants, conducting the examination in a single session would be logistically impossible. Multiple sessions would be required, followed by a normalization process to ensure fair and equitable results across different test administrations.
