Govt seeks detailed report from CBSE on OSM tender amid row over Class 12 evaluation

The move comes as the union education ministry intensifies its examination of alleged irregularities in the CBSE’s tendering process linked to OSM.

Published on: Jun 2, 2026, 06:22:32 IST

By Sanjay Maurya

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The Union education ministry has sought a detailed report from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on the procurement process for the board’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, amid mounting scrutiny over the rollout of the platform used to assess Class 12 answer scripts, people aware of the matter said on Monday.

HT earlier reported that the contract was awarded to Coempt Edu Teck on December 5. (HT File photo)

The move comes as the ministry intensifies its examination of alleged irregularities in the CBSE’s tendering process and cybersecurity vulnerabilities linked to the board’s digital evaluation ecosystem.

The explanations CBSE has submitted so far have not addressed concerns raised within the ministry entirely, because of which the board has been asked for a detailed report, said the officials.

Also Read: Coempt undercut TCS by 60% in CBSE OSM tender

“The ministry will take strong action against officials if any wrongdoing is established,” one of the officials said, adding that “accountability will be fixed at multiple levels if procedural lapses or negligence are established in the tendering process.”

CBSE officials did not respond to requests seeking comment.

The move follows anger among parents and teachers amid what appears to be a rushed process to roll out an entirely new mechanism for scoring nearly 10 million answer scripts despite concerns.

Also Read: 3 teens vs CBSE: How the Class 12 paper-checking system OSM blew up, and the board corrected, defended, countered

CBSE officials have denied allegations of wrongdoing and maintained that the tender process was conducted in accordance with General Financial Rules (GFR) and established government procurement procedures.

HT earlier reported that the contract was awarded to Coempt Edu Teck on December 5 – just 74 days before the first board examinations began on February 17.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sanjay Maurya
Sanjay Maurya is a Principal Correspondent with Hindustan Times, where he covers education, with a focus on school and higher education, competitive examinations, education policy and governance. Working as part of the National Bureau, he is based in New Delhi and reports on the Ministry of Education and covers various statutory bodies like UGC, AICTE and NCTE and autonomous bodies like CBSE and NCERT. His reporting also tracks the implementation of key government reforms and policies from school education to higher education including in IITs, NITs, IIMs, central and state universities, and their impact on students and educational institutions. His reporting on the irregularities and rushed implementation of CBSE's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system for evaluation of Class 12 board exams 2026, triggered administrative action, leading to the transfer of the board's two senior-most officials and the constitution of a committee to probe alleged irregularities in procurement process of the system. He joined Hindustan Times in December 2024. Prior to that, he had a three-year stint at Careers360, where he reported on school and higher education, entrance examinations, admissions, rankings and various education policies involving universities and professional education bodies. Over the years, Maurya has reported extensively on major developments in India's education sector, including the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, reforms in the National Testing Agency (NTA) following the NEET-UG 2024 controversy, changes in school education, higher education regulation, and the evolution of entrance examinations such as NEET, JEE and CUET. He regularly produces data-driven and explanatory stories based on government documents, parliamentary proceedings, court records and official data. His focus remains on helping readers understand how education policies and institutional decisions affect millions of students, teachers and educational institutions across the country.Read More

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