Congress Leader Criticizes CBSE Over Cybersecurity Flaws in Marking System

Congress Leader's Concerns Over CBSE's Cybersecurity Issues

On June 1, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh expressed his discontent with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for acknowledging security vulnerabilities in its On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. The CBSE announced that it is monitoring the flaws in the OnMark portal and has deployed a team of cybersecurity experts to enhance the system's security. In a post on X, Ramesh highlighted irregularities in the Request for Proposal (RFP) issued in August 2025 and criticized Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's handling of the situation, labeling it a symbol of arrogance and incompetence. He accused the government of providing protection to the company COEMPT Edutech, which supports the OnMark portal.

CBSE's Acknowledgment of Security Breaches

Ramesh pointed out that after weeks of denying cybersecurity flaws in its OSM system, CBSE has finally admitted to breaches. However, he questioned what actions the board plans to take against its contractor, COEMPT, suggesting that not much will be done. It appears that both CBSE and the Ministry of Education were aware that COEMPT was not suitable for the task at hand.

Concerns Over Vendor Blacklisting

He further noted that in its August 2025 RFP, CBSE retained the right to blacklist vendors who failed to perform effectively. However, in September, the board issued a clean slate, retracting its authority to blacklist these vendors. This move seems to be an inexplicable, government-supported effort to protect COEMPT, which began even before the company officially received the contract.

Call for Minister's Resignation

Ramesh reiterated the Congress party's demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, questioning how long the nation must endure a minister whose ministry has committed such unimaginable irregularities in tenders, adversely affecting the mental health of millions of students. He described Minister Pradhan as a living embodiment of arrogance and incompetence, prioritizing his political agenda over any responsibility to the nation. He emphasized that neither the Prime Minister nor his associates have demonstrated any standards of honesty or ethics. Minister Pradhan should resign in adherence to his duties.

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