Education Minister reviews CBSE reforms, OSM row, 3-language policy at high-level meeting

Pralhad Joshi reviewed CBSE's academic, examination and administrative issues with senior officials. The meeting comes as digital marking, the three-language policy and broader exam reforms face scrutiny.Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi on August 24, Monday, convened a high-level meeting with senior officials of the Department of School Education and Literacy to review key developments concerning the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). The meeting comes at a time when the board has remained in focus over several issues, including the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, the implementation of the three-language policy and reforms aimed at strengthening its academic and examination processes.Joshi, in a post following the meeting, said discussions focused on strengthening CBSE across academics, examinations, administrative processes and other key areas. He said the discussions were aimed at ensuring greater efficiency, transparency and improved support for students and teachers.The meeting assumes important as the CBSE has faced scrutiny in recent months over its newly introduced digital evaluation system.The board introduced On-Screen Marking for the evaluation of Class XII answer books in the 2026 examinations, replacing physical evaluation for Class XII while Class X evaluation continued in physical mode. The issue has also reached the Supreme Court. On August 21, the court sought responses from the Centre and CBSE on grievances related to the OSM evaluation process, including complaints from students who were unable to use the one-week grievance window. Another major issue surrounding CBSE is the implementation of the three-language policy from the 2026-27 academic session.Under the revised framework, students are required to study three languages, with at least two being Indian languages. CBSE subsequently issued detailed guidelines and clarified transitional provisions, including exemptions for the existing Class 10 batch and certain flexibilities for students already studying foreign languages.The policy has also come under judicial scrutiny. The Supreme Court recently asked CBSE, the Centre and NCRT to reconsider aspects of its implementation and explore whether relief could be provided to students currently in Class 6.The court also raised questions about the classification of English under the language framework and emphasised that implementation should not place undue pressure on students.UGC-NET RE-EXAMINATION ADDS TO EXAMINATION REFORM FOCUSThe CBSE review comes shortly after the Education Ministry stepped up its scrutiny of examination systems following problems reported in the UGC-NET June 2026 examination.NTA has ordered a re-examination of the English, Commerce and Sociology papers after an expert committee found factual, typographical and translation errors, along with problems in question wording and repetition of a significant number of questions from previous examinations.The three papers will be conducted again in September. The English and Commerce examinations are scheduled for September 9, while Sociology will be held on September 10. Candidates appearing for the re-examination will not be required to pay an additional examination fee.Following the UGC-NET developments, the Education Ministry has sought a comprehensive overhaul of NTA's confidential examination operations.The agency has also been directed to audit its examination processes, while the government is bringing in domain specialists in areas including cybersecurity, psychometrics and question-paper design.Against this backdrop, Joshi's meeting with senior school education officials places greater emphasis on major developments surrounding the education ecosystem in India at the school level.- EndsPublished By: Rishab ChauhanPublished On: Aug 24, 2026 18:06 IST