Big administrative shake-up in CBSE OSM chairman Rahul Singh and secretary Himanshu Gupta have been removed from their posts.

New Delhi. The ongoing on-screen marking (OSM) tender controversy in the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has finally taken a major political and administrative turn. CBSE Chairman Rahul Singh and Secretary Himanshu Gupta have been removed from their posts with immediate effect. The move has caused a stir in the academic and administrative circles.

What is the OSM controversy?

The entire matter pertains to the procurement process of on-screen marking (OSM) services used by CBSE for evaluation of answer sheets. There are allegations that there was a lack of transparency in the tender allocation for this digital evaluation system and many serious questions were raised about the process.

According to sources, the contract for OSM services was given to Hyderabad-based company Coempt. Since then, the dispute over the fairness of the tender process and compliance with procurement rules has continued to escalate. The central government intervened in the matter after questions were raised on social media, education experts and at the administrative level.

Government's decision

Amid mounting pressure over the controversy, the central government not only decided to remove the two top officials of the CBSE but also ordered a thorough probe into the entire episode. The government has set up a high-level one-man inquiry committee to look into the procurement process.

The probe will be headed by Additional Director General of Police S. Radha Chauhan.

The inquiry committee will be headed by S. Radha Chauhan, who is currently the chairperson of the Capacity Building Commission. The committee has also been empowered to seek cooperation from officials of various government offices and departments as and when required.

The committee will be provided secretarial assistance by the Capacity Building Commission and will have to submit its detailed report to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) within a month.

All eyes are on the inquiry report.

Now the eyes of the entire education world are fixed on the report of this inquiry committee. The report will make it clear whether there was any violation of rules in the procurement of OSM services and tender allocation process. If any irregularity is found in the investigation, more major administrative steps can be taken in the coming days.

The action by the country's largest education board like CBSE is being seen as an indication that the central government is in no mood to be lax about transparency and accountability in public procurement processes.