Big CBSE shakeup: Prashant Lokhande appointed new Chief, Varun Bhardwaj Secretary amid OSM row

The appointments have been made amid growing concerns and criticism over CBSE's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system used for Class 12 board examinations this year.

The Centre has appointed IAS officer Prashant Sitaram Lokhande as the new Chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), while IAS officer Varun Bhardwaj has been named the Board's Secretary. The appointments come after the government transferred CBSE Chairman Rahul Singh and Secretary Himanshu Gupta amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the Board's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system.

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The government has also formed a one-member committee to investigate the procurement of services for the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system used by CBSE. The committee has been asked to submit its report to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) within one month.

The panel will examine how CBSE selected the vendor for the OSM system. It will investigate allegations that procurement rules may have been relaxed to favour a particular company. The committee will also check whether the entire process was transparent and followed all required rules.

Opposition attacks Centre over OSM controversy

The opposition intensified its criticism of the Central Government over the CBSE OSM controversy on Tuesday. The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) questioned why only senior CBSE officials were transferred.

Both parties demanded stronger action and called for the removal of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. They alleged that the Ministry of Education should also be held responsible for the controversy.

What is the CBSE OSM row?

The controversy is linked to CBSE's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, which was introduced for Class 12 board examinations this year.

Under the system, teachers evaluate scanned copies of answer sheets online instead of checking physical answer books.

The system came under criticism after students and teachers reported several problems. These included technical glitches, blurred answer sheets, missing pages, and concerns about the accuracy of the evaluation.

Questions were also raised about the security of the platform and the process used to award the contract for the system.

CBSE opens re-evaluation portal

Amid growing criticism, CBSE opened its re-evaluation portal on June 2. The portal will remain open until June 6.

Eligible students can apply for verification if they find any issues in their scanned answer books. They can also request re-evaluation of specific answers if they are unhappy with their marks.

CBSE has clarified that only students who have already obtained scanned copies of their evaluated answer books can apply for these facilities.

Also Read: CBSE OSM row - Centre shunts top officials, constitutes inquiry committee