Center transferred CBSE chief
The Center on Tuesday replaced top officials of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) amid a growing controversy over the board’s on-screen marking (OSM) system and complaints related to assessment, answer-sheet access and revaluation processes.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet appointed 2001 batch AGMUT-cadre IAS officer Lokhande Prashant Sitaram as CBSE chairman, replacing Rahul Singh, who has been transferred to the agriculture ministry as additional secretary. Varun Bhardwaj, a 2008 batch Indian Forest Service officer, was appointed Secretary of CBSE, replacing Himanshu Gupta, with a tenure till September 19, 2027.
The changes come as scrutiny of the digital assessment framework intensified following student complaints and parliamentary attention to the issue.
The ongoing OSM controversy has triggered widespread complaints from students over technical glitches, discrepancies in evaluated answer sheets and problems in the post-result verification and revaluation process.
The issue was also raised by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, which called senior officials of the Education Ministry and CBSE to discuss the concerns arising from the implementation of the OSM system.
Affected by CBSE’s online marking system, 17-year-old student Sarthak Sidhanth from Jharkhand gave a presentation before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Tuesday on alleged irregularities in the tender process for selection of vendors for online marking of Class 12 answer sheets, PTI reported. Citing sources, PTI reported that Siddhant has submitted a seven-page report detailing anomalies in the procurement process and a set of questions for the board regarding the selection of vendors for the OSM system.
The presentation was made in the presence of CBSE Chairman Rahul Singh, School Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar and other officials of the Education Ministry and the Board. Sources said committee chairman Digvijay Singh listened to the student in detail and sought feedback from CBSE officials on the issues raised in the report. The board also submitted a note to the committee members presenting its position on the problems pointed out by the students during the post-result process.
According to an office memorandum dated June 2, the Cabinet Secretariat has constituted a one-member committee to examine matters related to the procurement of OSM services by CBSE.
The memorandum said that the committee will be headed by Capacity Building Commission Chairperson S Radha Chauhan. It has been empowered to seek assistance from officials of other offices as per requirement, while secretarial assistance will be provided by the Commission.
“The committee will submit its report to the Department of Personnel and Training within a month,” the order said.
The investigation specifically pertains to the procurement of services for the OSM system, which was introduced by CBSE this year for evaluating Class XII board exam answer sheets.
The digital marking system has been at the center of controversy following complaints from students about alleged evaluation discrepancies, mismatched answer sheets, missing pages, blurry scanned copies and technical issues on the CBSE post-result portals.
This development comes in the backdrop of increasing pressure on the board to tackle the 2026 examination cycle.
In recent weeks, parliamentary committees, opposition leaders and student groups have sought clarification from the CBSE and the Education Ministry regarding the implementation of OSM. They have also questioned the redressal mechanisms available to students affected by the system.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet appointed 2001 batch AGMUT-cadre IAS officer Lokhande Prashant Sitaram as CBSE chairman, replacing Rahul Singh, who has been transferred to the agriculture ministry as additional secretary. Varun Bhardwaj, a 2008 batch Indian Forest Service officer, was appointed Secretary of CBSE, replacing Himanshu Gupta, with a tenure till September 19, 2027.
The changes come as scrutiny of the digital assessment framework intensified following student complaints and parliamentary attention to the issue.
The ongoing OSM controversy has triggered widespread complaints from students over technical glitches, discrepancies in evaluated answer sheets and problems in the post-result verification and revaluation process.
The issue was also raised by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, which called senior officials of the Education Ministry and CBSE to discuss the concerns arising from the implementation of the OSM system.
Affected by CBSE’s online marking system, 17-year-old student Sarthak Sidhanth from Jharkhand gave a presentation before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Tuesday on alleged irregularities in the tender process for selection of vendors for online marking of Class 12 answer sheets, PTI reported. Citing sources, PTI reported that Siddhant has submitted a seven-page report detailing anomalies in the procurement process and a set of questions for the board regarding the selection of vendors for the OSM system.
The presentation was made in the presence of CBSE Chairman Rahul Singh, School Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar and other officials of the Education Ministry and the Board. Sources said committee chairman Digvijay Singh listened to the student in detail and sought feedback from CBSE officials on the issues raised in the report. The board also submitted a note to the committee members presenting its position on the problems pointed out by the students during the post-result process.
According to an office memorandum dated June 2, the Cabinet Secretariat has constituted a one-member committee to examine matters related to the procurement of OSM services by CBSE.
The memorandum said that the committee will be headed by Capacity Building Commission Chairperson S Radha Chauhan. It has been empowered to seek assistance from officials of other offices as per requirement, while secretarial assistance will be provided by the Commission.
“The committee will submit its report to the Department of Personnel and Training within a month,” the order said.
The investigation specifically pertains to the procurement of services for the OSM system, which was introduced by CBSE this year for evaluating Class XII board exam answer sheets.
The digital marking system has been at the center of controversy following complaints from students about alleged evaluation discrepancies, mismatched answer sheets, missing pages, blurry scanned copies and technical issues on the CBSE post-result portals.
This development comes in the backdrop of increasing pressure on the board to tackle the 2026 examination cycle.
In recent weeks, parliamentary committees, opposition leaders and student groups have sought clarification from the CBSE and the Education Ministry regarding the implementation of OSM. They have also questioned the redressal mechanisms available to students affected by the system.
