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Date: 1st June, 2026
CBSE’s Biggest Lesson Comes From Its Students: Three Teens School World’s Largest Board
The Fact: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is facing growing scrutiny after this year’s board results, with some of its sharpest criticism coming not from politicians or educators, but from students themselves. Three students in particular have exposed alleged flaws in the system. Nisarga Adhikary, an ethical hacker, exposed how CBSE’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) portal contained serious security vulnerabilities that could allow users to reset passwords and potentially manipulate marks. Class 12 student Sarthak Sidhanta published a detailed investigation alleging that CBSE diluted key technical standards, including scan-quality requirements, to accommodate a contract awarded to a firm called Coempt shortly before the examinations. Meanwhile, Vedant Srivastava alleged that CBSE mistakenly swapped his answer sheet with another student's, affecting his scores. Instead of answers, he was met with online abuse, with a state-funded journalist branding him "Pakistani" simply for questioning the Board.
The Context: CBSE's shift to digital evaluation through OSM has been accompanied by complaints about blurred scans, missing pages, and discrepancies between physical answer sheets and the copies uploaded online. Nisarga claims he identified critical vulnerabilities in the portal in under an hour and alerted CBSE in February, weeks before results were declared. According to him, no meaningful action followed. Scanned answer sheets visibly show shadows, folds, and distortions in the scan, raising questions about the quality of the digitisation process. After receiving no response, he took his findings public on X, even demonstrating the portal's weaknesses by reportedly playing the "Bad Apple" music video through the system. Separately, Sarthak's investigation into Coempt raised concerns about the company's examination track record, including its involvement in Telangana's controversial 2019 results crisis. Vedant's case, meanwhile, highlighted the hostility often faced by students who seek accountability from powerful institutions.
The Peek Insight: Students are increasingly doing the job that institutions like the media were supposed to do. From exposing security vulnerabilities and evaluation discrepancies to demanding accountability for administrative failures, it is students, not regulators or auditors, who are bringing systemic problems to light. The issue that these glaring mistakes appear to have been discovered only after students exposed them publicly. In a system that determines the future of millions, such failures should never reach that stage. The problem further is that legitimate criticism is increasingly met with hostility rather than accountability. When a student questioning an examination board can be branded "Pakistani" by the media, the problem extends far beyond marks and answer sheets. NEET, CBSE, and CUET may be separate controversies, but together they point to an erosion of trust in India's education system.
Leaked Papers To Leaking Infra: System Designed To Fail The Student?
The Fact: With the Indian education system already under intense scrutiny following a series of lapses, two more incidents have added to growing concerns about student safety and administrative accountability. In South Delhi’s Saket, six people lost their lives on Saturday after a multi-storey building collapsed near the Saket Metro Station. Five of them were students. According to reports, several of the deceased students were preparing for competitive examinations such as FMGE and GATE. At the same time, hundreds of kilometres away in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur, more than 20 students and their family members were injured after falling into a drain when a concrete slab collapsed. The students had gathered near a photocopy shop before appearing for the BEd Joint Entrance Examination.
The Context: Peek TV’s ground report from Saket revealed that around 8 PM, students in a neighbouring building experienced severe, earthquake-like tremors. Within moments, the structure was reduced to rubble. The sixth victim was students’ beloved ‘Parvati aunty’, the woman who ran the mess next door. She rushed into the collapsing structure in an attempt to rescue students trapped inside. Delhi Police have registered an FIR in the case, including charges of culpable homicide. Reports suggest that the building had been under scrutiny for illegal construction. According to sources, Delhi Police had written to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) as early as March, warning that the structure was being built beyond permissible limits. Despite repeated alerts, no corrective action was taken. Meanwhile, in Kanpur, the incident occurred near HN Mishra PG College. Reports indicate that students were informed at the last minute that they would need photocopies of their Aadhaar cards to appear for the examination. This led to a rush at a nearby photocopy shop, where students and their families gathered on a concrete slab covering a drain. Unable to bear the weight, the slab gave way. Several students sustained injuries, while at least one parent was rushed to a nearby hospital.
The Peek Insight: Together, the incidents in Delhi and Kanpur raise troubling questions about how seriously authorities value the safety and well-being of students. From paper leaks and last-minute examination cancellations to infrastructure failures and administrative negligence, students continue to bear the burden of systemic shortcomings. Examinations are either cancelled due to paper leaks or technical glitches, and when students finally make it to the centre, the crumbling infra comes for them. The issue extends beyond isolated incidents. Students routinely face policy decisions made without adequate consultation, bureaucratic hurdles imposed at the last minute, and infrastructure failures that put their lives at risk. Whether it is being compelled to study subjects they did not choose, dealing with uncertainty around examinations, or facing unsafe conditions while pursuing their education, students are too often left to pay the price for administrative failures. These are the very individuals from whom the country expects excellence and achievement. Yet time and again, they are failed by the systems designed to educate, protect, and empower them.
Scanned, Stamped, Scammed?: Inside The Vishwaguru’s ‘Visa Bazaar’
The Fact: A joint investigation by The Indian Express and Lighthouse Reports, based on 150 internal European Union inspection documents from 2020–2025, uncovered widespread operational, security, and ethical failures at VFS Global visa centres across India. Embassies repeatedly flagged critical mistakes, including incorrect data entry, missing biometrics, misplaced fees, and passports left unreturned for years. Meanwhile, a thriving black market also seemed to emerge around visa appointments. Embassies, including Poland's, reported near-daily complaints about appointment slots being resold at possible inflated prices, while applicants allegedly faced pressure to purchase costly but optional "value-added" services.
The Context: The crisis seemed to have emerged after post-pandemic travel demand surged across India. European embassies were overwhelmed by a flood of visa applications and lacked the staffing and infrastructure to process them internally. As a result, they became heavily dependent on outsourced providers such as VFS Global, creating a de facto monopoly in visa processing. Although embassies repeatedly raised concerns about data leaks, procedural failures, and appointment hoarding, the investigation found that only temporary corrective measures were taken. VFS disputes the findings, citing strict government oversight and more than 10,000 annual audits, while arguing that appointment shortages and travel-agent scams are broader structural problems beyond its direct control.
The Peek Insight: The alleged scandal exposes the illusion of the modern sovereign border. While states invest heavily in physical border security and advanced passport controls, the practical gatekeeping of international mobility has virtually been outsourced to a private monopoly operating under weak and inconsistent oversight. Access to international travel has become commodified. The deeper issue is not corporate inefficiency alone, but the erosion of a process meant to impartially administer international law. What should be a transparent system of public administration increasingly resembles a lottery, one in which legitimate travellers must risk their personal data, endure corporate upselling, and navigate a thriving black market simply to petition a foreign government for entry.
Crawl Of Duty: Cockroach Is Coming, Will It Climb Or Be Crushed?
The Fact: Abhijeet Dipke, founder of satirical page Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), announced on Monday that he will return to India to demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. In a three-minute video, the Boston University student called on CJP supporters to gather at Delhi International Airport on June 6 before proceeding to Jantar Mantar for a peaceful protest seeking the minister's resignation.
The Context: Dipke has experienced a surge in popularity over the past month following remarks by the Chief Justice of India that referred to certain unemployed youth as "cockroaches", a label that the CJP appropriated as a symbol of protest. Within days, the party's Instagram account surpassed the follower counts of both the BJP and Congress, and now claims more than 20 million followers. The movement also launched a petition demanding Pradhan's resignation, which reportedly attracted around 8,00,000 signatures. His call for direct action comes amid continued criticism of the Education Ministry following the NEET paper leak controversy and subsequent allegations of administrative and security lapses affecting key educational institutions and examination systems.
The Peek Insight: Dipke's announcement sets in motion a critical test of whether digital influence can be converted into real-world political mobilisation. Even his strategy carries significant risks. Delhi's airport is among the country's most heavily secured public spaces, where unauthorised mass gatherings face immediate scrutiny. The broader political environment may further complicate matters. Government agencies have previously raised concerns about the CJP's activities, calling them a ‘national security threat’. As a result, the movement could find itself confronting institutional resistance at the very moment it attempts to transition from an online phenomenon into a physical political campaign. The June 6 protest may therefore serve as a referendum not only on Dipke's demands, but on the ability of internet-driven movements to translate attention into tangible political influence.
From Cross-fire To Cost-fire: Commercial LPG Hike Turns Up The Heat
The Fact: Indian Oil has once again raised the prices of 19-kg commercial LPG cylinders, increasing rates by ₹42–₹53.50 across major cities from June 1. In Delhi, a commercial cylinder now costs ₹3,113.50. While prices for 14.2-kg domestic LPG cylinders remain unchanged for now, they were increased by ₹60 in March, taking the Delhi retail price to around ₹913. The latest hike primarily impacts restaurants, hotels, caterers, food stalls, and other small businesses that rely on commercial LPG for daily operations. Industry observers warn that these higher input costs are likely to be passed on to consumers through increased food prices and service charges.
The Context: The commercial LPG prices have been increased by a total of 380+ rupees since the war began. This latest increase comes after a series of sharp hikes over the last few months. Commercial LPG cylinder prices were already raised substantially in March, April, and May, with May alone witnessing one of the steepest increases in recent years amid concerns over supply disruptions linked to the ongoing West Asia conflict and fears surrounding the Strait of Hormuz. The LPG price revision also comes amid recent increases in petrol and diesel prices, which have already risen by more than Rs 7 per litre in several parts of the country over the last few weeks due to rising global crude oil prices and escalating geopolitical tensions in West Asia.
The Peek Insight: The latest LPG hike is part of a broader energy shock driven by one of the most volatile global oil markets in years. The conflict in West Asia has amplified fears of disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint through which nearly 20% of global oil trade flows. For India, which imports over 90% of its crude oil requirements, such disruptions quickly translate into higher energy costs. For more than a month, retail fuel prices were insulated from the full impact of rising global crude prices. This coincided with election campaigns across states, during which the government softened the immediate burden on consumers. However, those pressures were merely delayed. A weakening rupee has further compounded the problem by making energy imports more expensive. Although the latest revision applies only to commercial cylinders, the economic distinction is often temporary. Restaurants, dhabas, cloud kitchens, tea stall and small food businesses operate on thin margins and have limited ability to absorb repeated cost increases. As a result, higher LPG prices are likely to ripple through the economy, eventually appearing on consumers' bills in the form of costlier meals, snacks and everyday services
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