Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
The political battle over CBSE’s On Screen Marking (OSM) system largely played out on X over the past few days, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and BJP leaders exchanging allegations and counter-allegations.
The post on X by BJP IT Department head Amit Malviya targeted Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his questions regarding vendor COEMPT Eduteck, which was awarded the tender to fulfil the requirements of CBSE’s On Screen Marking (OSM) system, introduced by the board after nearly a decade of planning and preparation.
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The first salvo came from Rahul Gandhi, who alleged that there had been “massive tampering” in CBSE results and questioned the role of COEMPT Edutech, the company entrusted with the OSM system.
Referring to the firm’s earlier identity as Globarena, he claimed the company had faced controversy in Telangana in 2019 and asked why it was awarded a contract involving the evaluation of answer sheets of nearly 18.5 lakh students.
In his post, Gandhi sought answers on who approved the contract, whether procurement rules were followed, and why background checks were allegedly not carried out before awarding the project.
A day later, he sharpened his attack after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan defended the OSM system. Gandhi questioned the minister’s accountability and again asked why COEMPT was selected despite what he described as its controversial record.
He also questioned whether there were links between the company’s management and the government.
The Congress leader then shifted focus to the tender process itself. In another post, he claimed CBSE had floated the tender three times before awarding the contract.
He alleged that eligibility conditions were gradually relaxed, including changes in scanning requirements, certification norms and penalty provisions. Gandhi questioned why COEMPT was selected over other bidders and demanded an independent judicial probe into both the CBSE contract and other projects awarded to the company.
WHAT THE GOVERNMENT SAID?
The government’s response began with Dharmendra Pradhan’s interview with India Today, in which he accepted responsibility for operational issues reported during the rollout but defended the reform.
The minister said OSM was introduced to reduce manual errors, improve efficiency and bring greater transparency to the evaluation process. He also said corrective measures were being taken wherever required.
Soon after, BJP IT Department head Amit Malviya entered the debate. In a detailed post on X, Malviya accused Rahul Gandhi of attempting to manufacture a controversy around the OSM system.
He argued that CBSE had spent years studying digital evaluation systems before introducing OSM and had conducted extensive training programmes for evaluators.
Malviya also challenged Gandhi’s criticism of COEMPT.
He pointed out that the same company had received assignments from institutions in Telangana and Karnataka, including universities functioning under Congress governments.
He questioned whether the Congress would now raise similar allegations against those state administrations.
CBSE subsequently issued a clarification rejecting the allegations. The board said OSM was introduced after years of preparation and that answer sheets continued to be evaluated by teachers rather than computers.
It also maintained that the contract was awarded through due procedure and that quality-control mechanisms were built into the scanning and evaluation process.
With re-evaluated answer sheets expected to reach students from June 1, the debate has moved beyond technical concerns about digital evaluation and evolved into a broader political confrontation over procurement, transparency and accountability.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
