CBSE chairman, secretary transferred; probe ordered into OSM services procurement
What's the story
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has seen a major administrative shake-up with the transfer of its Chairman Rahul Singh and Secretary Himanshu Gupta, both IAS officers. The development comes amid an ongoing controversy over the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system used for evaluating Class 12 answer sheets. The Centre has also ordered an inquiry into the procurement process of these OSM services.
Investigation initiated
One-member committee constituted to probe OSMS service procurement
To look into the procurement of OSM services, the Centre has constituted a one-member committee, headed by S Radha Chauhan. "The chairperson of the committee is empowered to obtain the assistance of officers from other offices, as required. Secretarial assistance to the committee will be provided by CBC," the memorandum reads. The committee will submit its report to the Department of Personnel & Training within a month.
CBSE
Whistleblower student Sarthak Sidhant appears before parliamentary panel
The decision was taken after the Standing Committee on Education called senior education officials for a detailed discussion on the issue at the Parliament House Annexe on Tuesday. The committee also heard from representatives of CBSE students who faced issues during evaluation processes. During the meeting, 17-year-old student Sarthak Sidhant, whose allegations about the evaluation errors fueled a national debate, presented his findings on the implementation of the evaluation mechanism and alleged irregularities in the tendering process.
System scrutiny
Issues with digital evaluation process
The controversy over CBSE's OSM system started after students reported problems accessing scanned answer books. Issues included blurred pages, missing sections and difficulties using the board's online services. The situation escalated when questions were raised about the vendor selection process for the digital evaluation contract, leading to public outcry over transparency and accountability in India's largest school examination system.
Rahul Gandhi
Rahul Gandhi had questioned selection of OSM vendor
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had earlier questioned the selection of the private company, which undertook the evaluation, claiming the firm "had already pulled off the same deed in Telangana in 2019" under the name "Globarena." "Name changed—but the intent the same, the nature the same. Everyone knew the history, yet the contract was still awarded... This isn't a mistake—it's a deliberate conspiracy," he wrote on X. The CBSE had termed the allegations "erroneous, misleading and not based on facts."