Sarthak Sidhant, a Class 12 student, testified Tuesday before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education regarding the CBSE On-Screen Marking system [1, 2].
The testimony highlights potential systemic failures in how India's national board evaluates student performance. If the allegations of vendor favoritism and technical errors are proven, it could trigger a wide-scale review of digital examination grading and government procurement processes.
Sidhant appeared before the committee at the Parliament House Annexe in New Delhi [1, 2]. He presented concerns regarding the implementation of the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, which is used to grade Class 12 examinations [1, 2].
According to the student, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) altered its rules to favor a specific private vendor, Coempt EduTeck [1, 2]. Sidhant said these actions were tender irregularities designed to benefit the company during the procurement process [1, 2].
The student's appearance before the parliamentary panel marks a rare instance of a minor acting as a whistleblower in a government inquiry into educational administration [1, 2]. He detailed how the OSM system has impacted students and questioned the integrity of the digital marking process, a transition intended to modernize grading but now under scrutiny for its execution [1, 2].
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education is tasked with reviewing these claims to determine if the board's administrative actions violated procurement laws or compromised student grades [1, 2].
“Sarthak Sidhant testified Tuesday before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education”
This case underscores the tension between the rapid digitization of public services and the need for transparent oversight. If the parliamentary committee finds that tender rules were manipulated to benefit a specific vendor, it may lead to legal challenges against CBSE and a mandatory audit of the On-Screen Marking system's accuracy, potentially affecting the academic records of thousands of students.
