CBSE OSM Row: Teen Whistleblower Appears Before Parliamentary Panel

By Mahima Katal A 17-year-old student from Jharkhand who appeared for the CBSE Class 12 examinations this year, on Tuesday presented his findings before a parliamentary panel, highlighting alleged irregularities in the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) tendering process for selecting vendors for its Online Marking System (OSM).

According to sources, the student pointed out several anomalies in the vendor selection process and submitted a seven-page document detailing his findings. He also raised a series of questions for the board regarding the implementation of the online marking system. Meanwhile, reports have emerged that CBSE Chairman Rahul Singh and CBSE Secretary Himanshu Gupta are being transferred, although no official announcement had been made at the time of the meeting.

The presentation was made before the Parliamentary Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, chaired by Congress MP Digvijaya Singh. The committee heard Sarthak's concerns in the presence of CBSE Chairman Rahul Singh, School Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar, and other officials from the Ministry of Education and the board.

During the meeting, the CBSE submitted a report outlining its position on the issues raised by students. Board officials informed the committee that technical glitches on its portal had been addressed and that students would have until June 6 to apply for re-evaluation of their answer sheets.

The meeting, held at the Parliament House Annexe, comes amid growing concerns among students regarding portal glitches, alleged discrepancies in evaluation, and difficulties encountered during the post-result verification process for Class 12 examinations.

The parliamentary panel had earlier summoned senior officials from the CBSE and the Ministry of Education to discuss concerns surrounding the online marking system and its impact on students.

Apart from the OSM issue, the committee also deliberated on the implementation of the three-language formula in Classes 9 and 10 with education ministry officials.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, committee chairman Digvijaya Singh confirmed that Sarthak had made a presentation before the panel. When asked whether he was satisfied with the CBSE's responses, Singh said, “That is for the committee to decide.”

He declined to comment on the three-language formula, stating that the matter was sub judice.

“The committee has always been looking at the issues of students and their problems. This is exactly what the committee has done,” Singh said.