Congress Calls for Education Minister's Resignation Over CBSE OSM Controversy

The Congress party has intensified its criticism of the government regarding the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. The party has called for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, labeling the situation as 'shameful' due to the Ministry's disregard for advisory input. Jairam Ramesh, a prominent Congress leader, referenced a media report accusing CBSE of neglecting suggestions to pilot the OSM system regionally before its implementation, leading to substantial issues for this year's Class 12 examinations.

Ramesh attributed the CBSE's mishandling to the Education Ministry's top-down governance approach, which dismisses valuable counsel. He further criticized Dharmendra Pradhan for ignoring the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education's recommendations, largely due to its composition of opposition members. Concerns were also raised over the Ministry's failure to convene crucial educational councils and forums regularly, such as the Central Advisory Board of Education and the IIM Coordination Forum. Additionally, allegations of scoring discrepancies and mismatches in students' answer sheets have further fueled the controversy.

(With inputs from agencies.)