The Central Government has made major changes in the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) as the controversy over the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system continues to grow.
The government appointed Indian Administrative Service officer Prashant Sitaram Lokhande as the new Chairman of CBSE and named Varun Bhardwaj as the new Secretary after transferring Rahul Singh and Himanshu Gupta from their positions.
Join Our WhatsApp Channel
The decision came after serious questions emerged over the new digital evaluation system used for Class 12 board exams this year. Students, parents, teachers, and education experts raised concerns about scanned answer sheets, technical glitches, delays in re-evaluation, and the tender process linked to the procurement of OSM services. The Education Ministry has now started a detailed investigation into the entire system and related administrative decisions.
Government Starts Major Review of CBSE OSM System and Tender Process
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the new appointments on Tuesday as part of a larger administrative reshuffle in the education system.
Prashant Sitaram Lokhande, a 2001-batch AGMUT cadre IAS officer from Maharashtra, will now lead CBSE as Chairman. Before this appointment, he served as Additional Secretary in the Union Home Ministry. He also studied Mechanical Engineering before joining the civil services.
The government shifted former CBSE Chairman Rahul Singh to the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare as Additional Secretary.
In another important change, the government appointed Varun Bhardwaj, a 2008-batch Indian Information Service officer, as the new Secretary of CBSE. Before this role, Bhardwaj worked in the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education.
He replaced Himanshu Gupta, whose premature repatriation to the Ministry of Home Affairs received approval on administrative grounds during the ongoing OSM controversy.
OSM System Triggered Questions Over Transparency and Evaluation
CBSE introduced the On-Screen Marking system this year for Class 12 board exam evaluation. Under this system, evaluators checked scanned copies of answer sheets digitally instead of evaluating physical answer books.
Connect with us on WhatsApp
Initially, officials promoted the system as a faster and more transparent method of evaluation. However, the new system soon triggered strong criticism from students and parents.
Many students claimed that the handwriting visible in scanned answer sheets uploaded on the board’s website did not match their original handwriting. These complaints quickly spread across social media and created fears about possible answer-sheet mismatches and evaluation errors.
Apart from handwriting concerns, students also reported technical glitches, payment failures, session expiry problems, slow portal performance, and delays in the verification and re-evaluation process.
Teachers also reportedly faced delays in payments connected with digital evaluation work.
Government Investigates Procurement of OSM Services
The Education Ministry has started an internal investigation into the procurement of OSM services and the tender process linked to the digital evaluation system.
Officials will examine:
- Tender allocation procedures
- Technical rule changes during bidding
- Procurement decisions
- Administrative approvals
- Monitoring and transparency mechanisms
- Technical and administrative shortcomings
- Cybersecurity and portal safety
- Technical capacity and robustness of the re-evaluation portal
Media reports claimed that authorities changed technical rules and bidding conditions multiple times before awarding the contract to Hyderabad-based private company Coempt Edu Teck Pvt Ltd.
Questions also emerged regarding the company’s financial eligibility, including the reported requirement of a Rs 50 crore net worth, disclosure concerns linked to previous blacklisting allegations, and its earlier operations under the name Globarena under the Telangana Education Board.
Officials reportedly believe the controversy may involve larger procedural failures and monitoring lapses instead of only minor technical glitches.
Student Presentation Before Parliamentary Panel Draws Attention
The controversy gained national attention after Class 12 student Sarthak Sidhant presented his findings before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education.
According to sources, Sidhant highlighted alleged irregularities in the OSM tender process and raised questions regarding Coempt Edu Teck Pvt Ltd’s financial criteria, balance sheet conditions, and disclosure practices.
He also reportedly pointed out issues linked to the company’s net worth requirements and its failure to disclose earlier blacklisting details.
Sources claimed that members of the parliamentary panel praised the student’s detailed presentation. One member reportedly even asked why CBSE had not already appointed him as an adviser.
CBSE Opens Re-Evaluation Portal Amid Growing Backlash
Amid the controversy, CBSE opened the re-evaluation website for students and kept the portal active till June 6 midnight.
Students who already received scanned copies of their evaluated answer books can now apply for verification of issues observed in scanned copies and request re-evaluation of specific answers if they feel dissatisfied with the assessment.
CBSE clarified that only students who already obtained scanned copies of evaluated answer books can use this facility.
The board also faced criticism over technical glitches and payment failures during the re-evaluation process, increasing demands for greater transparency and accountability.
Committee Will Submit Findings Soon
The government has also formed a committee to examine the newly introduced OSM system and related tender procedures. The committee will investigate technical operations, transparency concerns, portal security, and administrative decisions linked to the digital evaluation process.
Officials expect the committee to submit its findings to the government soon.
Students, parents, teachers, and education observers now closely watch how the new CBSE leadership under Chairman Prashant Sitaram Lokhande and Secretary Varun Bhardwaj handles the controversy and restores trust in the examination system.
