Senior IAS officer Mandeep K Bhandari was appointed chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Friday, taking charge of the country’s largest school board months after controversy over its new digital evaluation system triggered complaints from students, a government inquiry and an earlier leadership shake-up. Bhandari, a 2001-batch AGMUT-cadre officer, has been appointed to the post in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary as part of a wider bureaucratic reshuffle approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
Bhandari’s appointment comes at a crucial juncture for CBSE as it prepares for the next examination cycle while dealing with the fallout of problems reported in the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system introduced for Class 12 examinations this year. The system had moved evaluation from physical answer books to scanned copies assessed digitally by examiners, but complaints after the declaration of results raised questions over its implementation.
Another change at the top
Bhandari succeeds Lokhande Prashant Sitaram, who had been given charge of CBSE in June after then-chairman Rahul Singh was moved out amid the OSM controversy. Singh and then-CBSE secretary Himanshu Gupta were transferred after the digital evaluation system came under scrutiny, while Lokhande and Varun Bhardwaj were brought in as chairperson and secretary, respectively.
The June reshuffle had coincided with the government ordering an inquiry into the procurement of services for the OSM system. The latest appointment puts Bhandari at the helm just months after that intervention and at a time when CBSE faces the challenge of strengthening confidence in its examination and evaluation processes.
Bhandari has held several senior administrative assignments during his career. His appointment to CBSE was among a series of changes announced Friday involving senior IAS and other civil service officers across departments, including finance, rural development, steel, education, power and water resources.
OSM controversy hit Class 12 results
CBSE introduced full-fledged On-Screen Marking for Class 12 answer books during the 2026 board examinations. Under the system, physical answer scripts were scanned and uploaded digitally, allowing evaluators to assess them on computer screens instead of handling the original paper copies.
Problems surfaced after students began obtaining scanned copies of their evaluated answer books. Complaints included blurred or unclear scans, missing pages and instances in which students alleged that answer sheets belonging to somebody else had appeared in place of their own.
The complaints acquired greater significance because Class 12 marks can influence university admissions and eligibility for competitive examinations. CBSE subsequently opened an online mechanism allowing students to report issues noticed in scanned answer books and seek re-evaluation of answers.
The board also issued a series of notices dealing with verification and re-evaluation as it attempted to address complaints. The controversy eventually drew parliamentary attention, with education officials and other stakeholders called to explain concerns surrounding the system.
Procurement came under probe
The Centre had also ordered a one-member inquiry into the procurement of services for the OSM system. Questions over the process added another dimension to a controversy that had initially centred largely on technical problems and discrepancies reported by students.
The upheaval resulted in Rahul Singh being moved out as CBSE chairman in June, roughly two years after he had taken charge. His tenure had coincided with several changes linked to the implementation of the National Education Policy and National Curriculum Framework, alongside the introduction of digital evaluation for Class 12.
CBSE had undertaken mock evaluation exercises before the examinations and issued instructions to schools and teachers for the digital system. The problems reported after the results, however, turned the OSM rollout into one of the board’s most closely scrutinised examination reforms in recent years.
New chief faces examination test
Bhandari will now inherit responsibility for an examination system serving a vast network of schools in India and abroad. Apart from addressing questions arising from the OSM experience, the new chairman will oversee CBSE’s continuing changes in assessment, curriculum and examination procedures.
The immediate challenge will be ensuring that technological changes intended to make evaluation faster and more transparent do not create fresh uncertainties for students. With another board examination cycle approaching, the functioning of the digital evaluation system and the lessons drawn from the 2026 controversy are likely to remain among the key issues before the new CBSE leadership.