Who is Rahul Singh, CBSE Chairman shunted out by Centre over OSM controversy?
After the CBSE row and the chaos that followed the declaration of the Class 12 results, the Ministry of Education has decided to transfer CBSE Chairperson Rahul Singh and secretary Himanshu Gupta.
Rahul Singh, a 1996-batch IAS officer of the Bihar cadre who took charge as Chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in March 2024, has been transferred by the Central government amid the controversy surrounding the board's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. The decision was communicated through an official notification issued by the Ministry of Education.
Singh is an engineer-turned-bureaucrat with a background in technology and public administration. Before joining CBSE, he served as Additional Secretary in the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
During his tenure at the Centre, he was also associated with assignments related to India's G20 and BRICS engagements.
He holds a BTech degree in Computer Science and a postgraduate qualification in Public Policy and Management, a combination that made him one of the few senior administrators with both technical and governance experience.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet appointed Singh as CBSE Chairperson in March 2024. He succeeded Nidhi Chhibber, who was later appointed as Adviser at NITI Aayog.
His appointment was part of a wider bureaucratic reshuffle undertaken by the Centre.
In 2025, the government extended Singh's tenure as CBSE Chairperson until November 2027. The extension was seen as a sign of confidence in his leadership of the board, which oversees more than 29,000 affiliated schools across India and abroad and conducts some of the country's largest school examinations.
However, Singh's tenure came under scrutiny following the rollout of the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. Introduced as a major reform in the evaluation process, the system was intended to digitise answer-sheet assessment and streamline result processing.
The initiative, however, soon drew criticism from students, parents and teachers.
Concerns were raised over technical glitches, access to evaluated answer sheets and questions surrounding the procurement process linked to the OSM project.
As the controversy intensified, the Centre ordered a probe into the procurement of OSM services. Alongside the inquiry, both the CBSE Chairperson and the Board Secretary were transferred.
The move marks one of the most significant administrative interventions in CBSE in recent years and comes at a time when the board's evaluation reforms are facing increased public scrutiny.
Rahul Singh, a 1996-batch IAS officer of the Bihar cadre who took charge as Chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in March 2024, has been transferred by the Central government amid the controversy surrounding the board's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. The decision was communicated through an official notification issued by the Ministry of Education.
Singh is an engineer-turned-bureaucrat with a background in technology and public administration. Before joining CBSE, he served as Additional Secretary in the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
During his tenure at the Centre, he was also associated with assignments related to India's G20 and BRICS engagements.
He holds a BTech degree in Computer Science and a postgraduate qualification in Public Policy and Management, a combination that made him one of the few senior administrators with both technical and governance experience.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet appointed Singh as CBSE Chairperson in March 2024. He succeeded Nidhi Chhibber, who was later appointed as Adviser at NITI Aayog.
His appointment was part of a wider bureaucratic reshuffle undertaken by the Centre.
In 2025, the government extended Singh's tenure as CBSE Chairperson until November 2027. The extension was seen as a sign of confidence in his leadership of the board, which oversees more than 29,000 affiliated schools across India and abroad and conducts some of the country's largest school examinations.
However, Singh's tenure came under scrutiny following the rollout of the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. Introduced as a major reform in the evaluation process, the system was intended to digitise answer-sheet assessment and streamline result processing.
The initiative, however, soon drew criticism from students, parents and teachers.
Concerns were raised over technical glitches, access to evaluated answer sheets and questions surrounding the procurement process linked to the OSM project.
As the controversy intensified, the Centre ordered a probe into the procurement of OSM services. Alongside the inquiry, both the CBSE Chairperson and the Board Secretary were transferred.
The move marks one of the most significant administrative interventions in CBSE in recent years and comes at a time when the board's evaluation reforms are facing increased public scrutiny.
