Nagpur: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday took decisive action by calling in technical experts from two IITs and enlisting four public sector banks to overhaul the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) payment gateway. This move came a day after a technical failure led to incorrect fee deductions for Class 12 students applying for scanned copies of their evaluated answer books.
Technical Glitch Triggers Crisis
The crisis was triggered by portal errors on May 21 and 22, during which students applying for scanned copies were either overcharged or charged less than the applicable fee. In response, CBSE announced that it would refund excess fees charged due to the technical glitch. Dr. Sanyam Bhardwaj, CBSE Controller of Examinations, issued a notice on Sunday stating that excess amounts would be refunded through the same payment method used at the time of application. Students who were undercharged would be separately informed about payment of the balance amount, if required. The board assured that scanned copies would be provided to all affected students without requiring fresh requests.
Expert Intervention from IITs
As the scale of the disruption became clear, Pradhan directed that a team of professors and technical experts from IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur be deputed to assist CBSE. The expert teams will examine portal stability and server performance, assess the overall IT infrastructure, and take corrective measures on login authentication, user access systems, and payment gateways.
Banks Roped In for Payment Gateway Strengthening
Pradhan also spoke with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and it was decided that State Bank of India (SBI), Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, and Indian Bank would assist CBSE in strengthening its payment gateway infrastructure and integrating it with the post-result services portal. Pradhan directed CBSE to carry out a complete overhaul of its payment gateway system.
Seamless Digital Transactions Ensured
The Education Ministry, in a public statement, said that the coordinated effort with the Finance Ministry and the four banks was expected to ensure seamless digital transactions, improved gateway stability, and a smoother experience for students using CBSE's result-related services. Pradhan emphasized that student interests remained paramount and that all corrective measures had to be undertaken by CBSE on priority to ensure a transparent and efficient system.
