Senior IAS officer Prashant Sitaram Lokhande has been appointed as the new chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), replacing Rahul Singh at a time when the board is facing scrutiny over its On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. The appointment was announced by the Centre through an official order that also confirmed the transfer of outgoing CBSE chairman Rahul Singh and secretary Himanshu Gupta. Rahul Singh has now been posted as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture. The leadership change comes as the CBSE continues to face questions from some Class 12 students who claimed that scanned copies of answer sheets uploaded by the board did not match their handwriting. The controversy has brought the evaluation process under public attention, making the appointment of Prashant Sitaram Lokhande particularly significant.
Experienced bureaucrat takes charge during challenging phase for board
A 2001-batch IAS officer of the AGMUT cadre, Prashant Sitaram Lokhande was serving as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs before being moved to the CBSE. With his appointment, Prashant Sitaram Lokhande will now head the country’s largest school education board at a time when concerns over examination processes remain in focus.
The officer replaces Rahul Singh, a 1996-batch IAS officer of the Bihar cadre. According to the government order, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the new postings. The reshuffle was announced on the same day Prashant Sitaram Lokhande was named the new CBSE chairman.
Questions over OSM system remain in spotlight
The appointment comes against the backdrop of the growing debate around the OSM system used in CBSE examinations. Concerns raised by students and parents have triggered a closer examination of the digital marking process.
In response to the controversy, the Centre recently set up a one-member committee headed by S Radha Chauhan, Chairperson of the Capacity Building Commission. The panel has been tasked with examining issues related to the procurement of services for the OSM system and has been asked to submit its report within one month. Complaints have included technical glitches, payment-related concerns and delays in verification and re-evaluation results.
New secretary appointed alongside chairman reshuffle
Reports say that, along with the appointment of Prashant Sitaram Lokhande, the government has also named senior bureaucrat Varun Bhardwaj as the new Secretary of CBSE. Bhardwaj is a 2008-batch Indian Information Service officer and is currently serving as Director in the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education.
He takes the place of Himanshu Gupta, who is an AGMUT cadre officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) for the batch year 2012. As per the official notification issued, Bhardwaj has been placed in this post by deputation under the Central Staffing Scheme till September 19, 2027, as part of his five-year tenure for the role.
Khalid Qasid is a media enthusiast with a strong interest in documentary filmmaking. He holds a Master’s degree in Convergent Journalism from AJK MCRC. He has also written extensively on esports at Sportsdunia. Currently, he covers world and general news at NewsX Digital.
