Nagpur University's Decline Sparks Alumni Appeal for Revival Former Maharashtra higher and technical education minister Anees Ahmed has raised urgent concerns over the deteriorating standards at Nagpur University (NU), calling on its esteemed alumni to intervene and restore the institution's former glory. During a visit to The Times of India office, Ahmed criticized the university's administrative failures, including delayed results, marksheet errors, and the outsourcing of its examination services to Hyderabad-based COEMPT under a Rs 5-crore contract. He argued that these issues have driven students to migrate to universities in Mumbai and Pune, exacerbating a brain drain from Vidarbha. Ahmed highlighted the university's historical significance, noting that it has produced notable figures such as former President Mohammad Hidayatullah, Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, and multiple Chief Justices of India. "It's unfortunate that an institution of such stature is witnessing a decline in academic standards and administrative efficiency," he said. He accused the Central and Maharashtra governments of failing to allocate sufficient funds for modern infrastructure, skilled manpower, and advanced courses to retain talent in the region. The former minister also addressed the university's placement challenges, alleging that top employers prefer graduates from Mumbai and Pune institutions. He cited the NEET paper leak scandal and the CBSE OSM row as precedents for systemic failures, questioning how NU could award a contract to COEMPT—a company previously banned by Telangana authorities for its "history of blunders.#nitin_gadkari #the_times_of_india #nagpur_university #coempt #anees_ahmed
Students Edgy As NU Summer Exams Face Scrutiny Over Repeated Errors A series of examination-related mishaps within a short span has sparked widespread concern over the Nagpur University (NU) summer examination process, with students and student organizations accusing the institution of poor coordination and inadequate safeguards. The incidents, which have left students anxious and questioning the credibility of the system, highlight recurring technical and administrative failures that have disrupted academic schedules and caused significant stress. The first incident occurred on June 2, when approximately 25 students from BSc Physics, Statistics, and Mathematics programs arrived at three designated examination centers—Dr Ambedkar College, Deekshabhoomi, and Annasaheb Gundewar College. Despite valid hall tickets indicating these locations, officials at the centers reported that the attendance sheet, which is typically provided a day in advance to ensure proper planning, was not generated. NU examination officials attributed the error to a technical glitch, stating that students were allowed to take the exam as their hall tickets were valid. However, students faced confusion and inconvenience, with attempts to contact officials reportedly met with unresponsiveness. The National Students Union of India (NSUI) criticized the lack of coordination between the university and college administrations, warning that such lapses could undermine the university’s credibility and harm students’ academic futures. The organization demanded an impartial inquiry and strict action against those responsible. A second incident emerged on May 30, involving the BA LLB Labour Law-II examination.#nagpur_university #akhil_bharatiya_vidyarthi_parishad #national_students_union_of_india #coempt #dr_ambedkar_college
CBSE Addresses Security Vulnerability in Evaluation Portal The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has acknowledged a technical vulnerability in its digital evaluation portal, stating it is working to resolve the issue. The board confirmed it is monitoring the problem with its service provider, which manages the portal used to distribute scanned answer sheets to students. While CBSE did not specify the exact nature of the vulnerability, the announcement came after a user on the social media platform X claimed to have discovered a security flaw. The user, identified as a software engineer, shared screenshots alleging that the board stored scanned answer sheets and question papers for the 2026 board examinations on an unsecured Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud storage bucket. According to the user, the lack of password protection allowed anyone to access and download the documents. The controversy gained further attention when former Union minister Jairam Ramesh posted on X, calling the situation a breach of privacy affecting 2 million students. Ramesh alleged that CBSE had manipulated the technical specifications in the request for proposal (RFP) for the digital evaluation project to favor COEMPT, the company contracted to handle the task. He also pointed out inconsistencies in the leaked answer sheets, such as folds and drop shadows, which he argued indicated the documents were scanned using mobile phones rather than dedicated scanning equipment. Ramesh further claimed that the third RFP omitted a requirement for robotic scanners, which could have improved the accuracy of the process. CBSE responded by thanking individuals and ethical hackers who brought the issue to light, stating that a team of cybersecurity experts had been deployed to address the vulnerabilities.#central_board_of_secondary_education #amazon_web_services #jairam_ramesh #coempt #onmark
Congress Condemns Massive Data Breach of CBSE Grade 12 Answer Sheets The Congress party on Sunday (May 31, 2026) condemned the exposure of answer sheets for two million CBSE Grade 12 students, calling it a “data breach of monumental proportions” that jeopardizes student privacy. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accused the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and its contracted vendor, COEMPT, of systemic incompetence and negligence, highlighting the scandal as a reflection of the ministry’s failures. Ramesh criticized the CBSE’s handling of the Class 12 Board exams, emphasizing that the leaked answer sheets—now publicly accessible—expose a critical lapse in data security. He pointed to the poor quality of the scans, noting that the documents bore “folds and drop shadows,” characteristics typically associated with mobile phone scans rather than professional scanning equipment. This, he argued, raises questions about the scanners COEMPT used, especially since the third Request for Proposal (RFP) had originally specified robotic scanners. The Congress leader also cited a post on X, where he linked to an AWS bucket misconfiguration, allowing unauthorized access to media files containing 2026 answer sheets and question papers. “We can paginate and enumerate all their media,” he wrote, underscoring the scale of the breach. Ramesh accused the CBSE of failing to secure its digital infrastructure, which he claimed was exacerbated by the ministry’s decision to alter technical specifications in the RFP, likely to benefit COEMPT. The scandal has intensified political pressure on Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The Congress reiterated its demand for his resignation and a full investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the “emerging scandal.#central_board_of_secondary_education #congress_party #jairam_ramesh #dharmendra_pradhan #coempt
