Alternative system in place to address technical glitch in polytechnic question paper distribution: Higher Education Minister

Roji M. John | Photo Credit: FIle Photo Higher Education Minister Roji M. John informed the Assembly on Wednesday (October 28) that an alternative system has been introduced to ensure the uninterrupted conduct of diploma examinations at polytechnic colleges in the State. Measures have been adopted in the wake of complaints regarding the distribution of question papers.Responding to a submission raised by legislator Saji Cherian, Mr. John explained that question papers are normally made available to examination centres through the portal of the State Board of Technical Education (SBTE). Institutions usually download the papers from the portal one hour before the commencement of examinations.An alternative system of distributing question papers through official email has also been in place for years to prevent disruptions in the event of technical issues with the portal.However, technical glitches affected the portal on October 14 in connection with the November 2026 diploma examinations. The issue was immediately brought to the attention of the National Informatics Centre (NIC), which was asked to resolve the problem. However, the technical issue could not be rectified in time, the Minister added.In order to ensure that the examinations were held without disruption, the question papers were securely sent to the official email addresses of all institutions half an hour before the examinations began.The Minister said the email-based distribution system had been used on previous occasions as well. Similar portal failures occurred during examinations in 2019, 2022 and April 2026, when the same alternative arrangement was adopted.Mr. John also clarified that neither the Technical Education Department nor the government have received complaints from students or heads of institutions regarding the distribution of question papers. He added that instructions have been issued to adopt necessary steps to ensure that similar technical glitches are resolved in a timely manner in the future. Published - October 28, 2026 04:04 pm IST