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

Higher Education Minister Roji M. John disclosed on Wednesday that a backup system has been implemented to guarantee the smooth execution of diploma exams at polytechnic colleges across the State. This new approach was put in place following concerns over the distribution of question papers. When questioned by legislator Saji Cherian, Mr. John explained that question papers are typically accessible to examination centers via the State Board of Technical Education (SBTE) portal.

Institutions typically download the papers from the portal one hour prior to exam commencement. However, an alternative system of distributing question papers via official email has also been in operation for years to mitigate disruptions in case of technical problems with the portal. On October 14, technical difficulties impacted the portal in connection with the November 2026 diploma exams.

The issue was promptly reported to the National Informatics Centre (NIC), which was tasked with resolving it. Unfortunately, the technical issue could not be fixed in time. To ensure the exams proceeded without interruption, the question papers were securely dispatched to the official email addresses of all institutions half an hour before the exams began.

The Minister noted that this email-based distribution method had been employed before as well. Previous portal failures during exams in 2019, 2022, and April 2026 prompted the adoption of the same alternative arrangement. Mr. John also assured that neither the Technical Education Department nor the government has received any complaints from students or heads of institutions about the question paper distribution.

He added that instructions have been issued to address necessary steps to prevent similar technical glitches from occurring in the future.