National 02 Jun, 2026

Govt shunts out 2 top CBSE officials, orders probe into OSM procurement

Business To Business, New Delhi, 2^nd June, 2026:  The government has taken significant action over alleged irregularities in the Class 12 digital evaluation system of the Central Board of Secondary Education, removing two senior officials and ordering a high-level investigation into the procurement and implementation of the online marking system.
Key developments
Removal of CBSE officials
The government removed two top CBSE officials following concerns about:

• The online evaluation process for Class 12 board examinations.
• Alleged irregularities in the procurement of digital marking services.
• Questions surrounding the selection of vendors involved in the system.

High-powered probe ordered
A high-level committee has been tasked with examining:

• How the digital evaluation services were procured.
• Whether tendering procedures were properly followed.
• The selection process for vendors.
• Any potential procedural or administrative lapses.

Student appears before parliamentary panel
A notable aspect of the controversy is the role played by a 17-year-old student from Jharkhand, Sarthak Sidhant.
Having appeared for the board examinations himself, Sarthak presented a seven-page document before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education.
His submission reportedly:

• Identified what he considered anomalies in the tendering process.
• Raised questions regarding vendor selection.
• Sought explanations from CBSE concerning the digital evaluation system.

Parliamentary scrutiny
The matter came before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, chaired by Digvijaya Singh.
The committee is responsible for examining issues related to education policy and administration and may seek further clarifications from officials and stakeholders.
Why the issue matters
The digital evaluation system affects millions of students whose board examination results influence:

• University admissions,
• Scholarships,
• Competitive examination eligibility,
• Career opportunities.

As a result, any perceived lack of transparency or fairness in evaluation can have far-reaching consequences.
Broader implications
The episode highlights several challenges associated with large-scale digitization of examination processes:

• Procurement transparency.
• Vendor accountability.
• Data security and system reliability.
• Accuracy of evaluation.
• Public trust in examination outcomes.

The findings of the high-powered committee and any subsequent parliamentary review are likely to determine whether reforms are needed in CBSE's digital evaluation framework and procurement procedures.