In response to the ongoing controversy surrounding the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, the Central government has made significant changes in its leadership. Lokhande Prashant Sitaram, a senior IAS officer, has been appointed as the new CBSE Chairperson, while Varun Bhardwaj is named as the board’s new Secretary. These appointments follow a high-level inquiry initiated by the government into the digital evaluation system’s procurement and implementation.
Lokhande Prashant Sitaram, a 2001-batch AGMUT cadre IAS officer currently serving as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, will take over as CBSE Chairperson. He replaces Rahul Singh, who has been transferred to the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Varun Bhardwaj, a 2008-batch Indian Information Service officer and Director in the Department of Higher Education, will assume the role of CBSE Secretary until September 19, 2027, under the Central Staffing Scheme.
The changes in leadership come amidst mounting criticism of the OSM system introduced for Class 12 board examinations this year. The digital evaluation framework, which involved assessing scanned copies of answer sheets, has faced backlash from students and parents due to technical issues, payment delays, re-evaluation process delays, and alleged irregularities in its implementation.
To address the concerns raised, the government has set up a one-member inquiry committee led by S. Radha Chauhan, Chairperson of the Capacity Building Commission. The committee’s mandate includes investigating the procurement of OSM services and examining allegations of relaxed procurement norms favoring a specific vendor. The committee is expected to submit its findings to the Department of Personnel and Training within a month.
CBSE has also opened its re-evaluation portal from June 2 to June 6, allowing eligible students with scanned copies of their answer sheets to verify marks and request re-evaluation of specific answers.
