After triggering a nationwide debate with his findings on CBSE's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, the 17-year-old Sarthak Sidhant on Tuesday appeared before a Parliamentary Standing Committee to present his concerns over the board's evaluation process, reported ANI.
The committee, headed by Congress MP Digvijaya Singh, reviewed issues related to the use of OSM in Class 12 examinations and concerns raised by students over the system's implementation.
After the presentation, Singh said the panel would await CBSE's response before taking a view on the matter.
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"He (Sarthak Sidhant, one of the students affected by the CBSE's On-Screen Marking system) has made his presentation. It is for the committee to decide (on the replies given by the CBSE)," Singh told ANI.
The parliamentary panel, comprising MPs from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, also heard submissions from senior officials of the Ministry of Education and CBSE regarding the controversy.
While the committee does not have direct powers to penalise officials, it can summon CBSE and ministry representatives, seek official records and examine evidence as part of its oversight role.
Sidhant had earlier published a detailed blog after reviewing tender documents available on the Central Public Procurement portal. He alleged that CBSE altered eligibility and technical requirements across multiple tender rounds in a manner that favoured Coempt EduTeck. "There were at least 15 discrepancies, as per my blog. I would like to highlight three or four of them," Sidhant told ANI.
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Highlighting one of the concerns, he said, "The first discrepancy is that there were three clauses of 'poor performance' which were completely wiped out from the new RFP. In the earlier RFP, there was a clause called 'blacklisted earlier' whereas in the new RFP, it was changed to 'blacklisted currently'. Why would the board want a service provider which was blacklisted earlier?"
The allegations have also drawn political attention, with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi demanding an independent judicial inquiry into the matter.
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