Amid an ongoing probe into the board's procurement of On-Screen Marking (OSM) services, the Centre on Tuesday approved a major leadership reshuffle at the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), appointing Prashant Sitaram Lokhande as the new Chairman and Varun Bhardwaj as Secretary.
According to an order issued by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), Lokhande, a 2001-batch IAS officer of the AGMUT cadre and currently serving as Additional Secretary in the Department of Home under the Ministry of Home Affairs, has been appointed Chairperson of CBSE in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary.
He replaces Rahul Singh, a 1996-batch IAS officer of the Bihar cadre, who has been appointed Additional Secretary in the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. Varun Bhardwaj has been appointed Secretary of the board as part of the administrative overhaul.
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The appointments, notified by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on June 2, come at a time when CBSE is facing heightened scrutiny over its examination and evaluation systems.
Earlier in the day, the Centre initiated a broader administrative reshuffle at the board, transferring both its Chairman and Secretary while simultaneously constituting an inquiry committee to examine the procurement of OSM services.
The government-appointed panel will review the tendering process, vendor selection and implementation of the OSM platform, which has come under scrutiny amid concerns over procurement practices and the functioning of technology-enabled examination services.
The developments follow criticism over CBSE's handling of post-result services after the declaration of Class 10 and Class 12 board examination results. Students seeking scanned copies of evaluated answer sheets reported issues including blurred images, missing pages and technical glitches on the board's online platforms.
Attention subsequently shifted to the OSM system used in the evaluation process. Allegations relating to procurement procedures, vendor selection, cybersecurity safeguards and the effectiveness of re-evaluation mechanisms triggered demands for greater transparency and accountability.
In response, CBSE introduced corrective measures, including extending deadlines and issuing clarifications on procedures, while maintaining that legitimate grievances would be addressed through established channels.
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