Lokhande Prashant Sitaram Appointed CBSE Chairperson, Varun Bhardwaj Named Secretary

Senior IAS officer Lokhande Prashant Sitaram has been appointed as the Chairperson of CBSE and Varun Bhardwaj has been named the new Secretary of CBSE. This appointment reshuffle comes when the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system us under scrutiny following the complaints from the students and parents regarding evaluation discrepancies, technical glitches and delays in the verification process.

Major Leadership Changes in the CBSE

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of the Lokhande Prashant Sitaram as the new Chairperson of CBSE.

He is the 2001-batch AGMUT cadre IAS officer and previously serving as the Additional Secretary in the Department of Home under the Ministry of Home Affairs. He will succeeds the Rahul Singh who has been ppointed Additional Secretary in the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

This leadership changes comes after the period of intense public scrutiny over the CBSE’s digital evaluation system.

Varun Bhardwaj Appointed New CBSE Secretary

Alongside with the appointment of a new Chairperson, the government has also named the Varun Bhardwaj as the new Secretary of CBSE.

He is the 2008-batch Indian Information Service (IIS) officer and was serving as the Director in the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education before this new role.

He will replaces the Himanshu Gupta who has been repatriated to his parent cadre under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on the administrative grounds.

As per the official order, Bhardwaj will serve as the Secretary until September 19, 2027 under the Central Staffing Scheme.

What is the OSM Controversy?

The controversy currently revolves around the CBSE’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) System. The system used the digital evaluation mechanism for the assessing the answer sheets in board examinations.

The system was introduced to improve the efficiency, transparency and speed in the evaluation process. However in the recent months, students and parents have raised the concerns regarding several issues linked to its implementation.

The controversy also gained the momentum after complaints surfaced about the technical glitches, delayed verification results and alleged discrepancies in answer-sheet evaluation.

What is CBSE?

The Central Board of Secondary Education is the India’s premier national-level school education board which is operating under the Ministry of Education.

Key Facts About CBSE

• It was established in the year 1929.
• CBSE functions under the Ministry of Education.
• It conducts the Class 10 and Class 12 Board Examinations.
• CBSE board affiliated with more than 30,000 schools in India and abroad.
• It is one of the largest education board in the world.