Centre transfers CBSE chief, secretary; orders probe into OSM procurement

The Cabinet Secretariat has formed a one-member committee to examine procurement of CBSE's On-Screen Marking system amid growing scrutiny over evaluation-related complaints

The Centre on Tuesday replaced top officials of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) amid the escalating controversy over the board's on-screen marking (OSM) system and complaints related to evaluation, answer-book access and re-evaluation processes.    The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet appointed Lokhande Prashant Sitaram, an AGMUT-cadre IAS officer of the 2001 batch, as chairperson of CBSE, replacing Rahul Singh, who has been moved to the Agriculture Ministry as additional secretary. Varun Bhardwaj, an Indian Forest Service officer of the 2008 batch, was appointed secretary of CBSE in place of Himanshu Gupta, with a tenure up to September 19, 2027.    The changes come after scrutiny of the digital evaluation framework intensified following student grievances and parliamentary attention to the issue.    The ongoing OSM row has triggered widespread complaints from students over technical glitches, discrepancies in evaluated answer books and problems in the post-result verification and re-evaluation process.    The issue was also taken up by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, which had summoned senior officials from the Ministry of Education and CBSE to discuss concerns arising from the implementation of the OSM system.    PTI reported that Sarthak Sidhant, a 17-year-old student from Jharkhand affected by CBSE's online marking system, made a presentation before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Tuesday on alleged irregularities in the tendering process for the selection of vendors for online marking of Class XII answer scripts. Quoting sources, PTI reported that Sidhant submitted a seven-page report detailing the 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 from the Ministry of Education and the board. Sources said committee chairman Digvijaya Singh heard the student at length and sought responses from CBSE officials on the issues raised in the report. The board also submitted a note to committee members presenting its position on the problems reported by students during the post-result process.    Separately, the Cabinet Secretariat has constituted a one-member committee to inquire into matters relating to the procurement of OSM services by CBSE, according to an office memorandum dated June 2.    The memorandum states that the committee will be headed by S Radha Chauhan, chairperson of the Capacity Building Commission. It has been empowered to seek assistance from officers of other offices as required, while secretarial support will be provided by the commission.    “The committee will submit its report within a month to the Department of Personnel and Training,” the order said.    The inquiry specifically relates to the procurement of services for the OSM system, which CBSE introduced for the evaluation of Class XII board examination answer scripts this year.    The digital marking system has been at the centre of controversy following complaints from students regarding alleged evaluation discrepancies, mismatched answer sheets, missing pages, blurred scanned copies and technical issues on CBSE's post-result portals.    The developments come against the backdrop of growing pressure on the board over the handling of the 2026 examination cycle.    In recent weeks, parliamentary committees, Opposition leaders and student groups have sought explanations from CBSE and the Ministry of Education regarding the rollout of OSM. They have also questioned the redressal mechanism available to students affected by the system.