CCG demands accountability from Union education minister over exam controversies

By A Representative 

The Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG), a non-partisan collective of former civil servants from the All India and Central Services, has issued an open letter demanding accountability from Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over what it described as repeated failures in the conduct of national-level examinations.

In the letter signed by 73 retired senior bureaucrats, diplomats and police officers, the group expressed “deep anguish and outrage” over alleged systemic lapses in examinations conducted under the Union Ministry of Education, arguing that these failures have undermined the aspirations of millions of students and weakened public confidence in India's education and merit-based selection systems.

The CCG cited the NEET-UG examination controversy, including recurring allegations of question paper leaks, as a major example of institutional failure. The group questioned why such irregularities continue to occur despite repeated incidents over several years and criticized the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the examination. It also argued that excessive reliance on centralized testing systems increases the risk of widespread failures and noted that requests from some state governments, including Tamil Nadu, for greater autonomy in student admissions had not been accepted by the Union government.

The letter also raised concerns about the implementation of the On Screen Marking (OSM) digital evaluation system for CBSE Class 12 examinations. According to the CCG, the rollout was affected by technical problems such as portal crashes, missing digital pages, mismatched answer sheets and alleged errors in marking, particularly in science and mathematics subjects. The group claimed that the transition resulted in an unusual decline in pass percentages and top scores, leading to anxiety among students and a surge in requests for re-evaluation.

The retired officials further alleged that flaws were discovered in the digital evaluation system and questioned the process through which the implementing company was awarded contracts. They argued that the subsequent transfer or removal of senior CBSE officials did not address broader issues relating to policy decisions, oversight and accountability.

Emphasizing the principle of ministerial responsibility in a parliamentary democracy, the CCG referred to past instances in which Union ministers resigned following major public failures or disasters. The group contended that responsibility for the recent examination controversies rests with the Union Education Minister and cannot be attributed solely to officials.

The CCG has called for the immediate resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan or, alternatively, for the Prime Minister to relieve him of his responsibilities. It has also demanded a time-bound and independent judicial or expert review of the NTA and the CBSE evaluation system, along with the introduction of stronger security measures, advanced cryptographic safeguards against question paper leaks, and independent audits of digital evaluation software before nationwide implementation.

The statement concluded by asserting that the future of the country depends on the fairness, transparency and integrity of its education system and expressed solidarity with students and families affected by examination-related controversies.

Among the signatories are several prominent retired officials, including Najeeb Jung, Ashok Lavasa, Shivshankar Menon, Wajahat Habibullah, Harsh Mander and Julio Ribeiro, among others.