Amid mounting controversy over its newly introduced digital evaluation system, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has undergone a major leadership reshuffle. Indian Information Service (IIS) officer Prashant Sitaram Lokhande has been appointed as the new CBSE Chairman, while Varun Bhardwaj has taken charge as Secretary of the board.
Lokhande, a 2001-batch AGMUT cadre officer, was serving as Additional Secretary in the Union Home Ministry before being entrusted with the responsibility of leading the country’s premier school education board. He succeeds Rahul Singh, who has now been moved to the Agriculture Ministry as Additional Secretary.
The appointment comes at a time when CBSE is facing intense scrutiny over alleged irregularities linked to its On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, introduced this year for Class 12 examinations. Under the new mechanism, examiners evaluated scanned answer sheets instead of physical copies, triggering complaints from students and raising concerns over transparency.
Varun Bhardwaj, who previously served in the Education Ministry, replaces Himanshu Gupta as CBSE Secretary. Gupta’s premature repatriation to his parent cadre in the Union Home Ministry was approved on administrative grounds amid the ongoing OSM controversy.
A one-member inquiry committee is currently examining the implementation of the OSM system and is expected to submit its findings to the government shortly. The controversy has widened following allegations regarding the award of the scanning and digital evaluation contract to Coempt Edu Teck Pvt Ltd, a company that has come under scrutiny over its eligibility and past record.
In response to growing student dissatisfaction, CBSE on Monday reopened its re-evaluation portal, allowing students to seek verification of discrepancies in scanned answer sheets and request re-evaluation of specific answers until June 6. The facility, however, is available only to candidates who have already obtained copies of their evaluated answer books.
Apart from concerns surrounding the evaluation process, the board has also faced criticism over technical glitches, payment failures, and delays in handling verification and re-evaluation requests, prompting demands for greater accountability.
