Class 12 student flags alleged discrepancies in CBSE's OSM tender process in his blog

New Delhi: A Class 12 student has raised concerns over the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) On-Screen Marking (OSM) tendering process, alleging several discrepancies that may have resulted in preferential treatment for a particular service provider.

Sarthak Siddhant outlined his findings in a detailed blog in which he compared multiple CBSE tender documents relating to the OSM system.

Speaking to ANI, Siddhant said he had identified at least 15 discrepancies after examining the documents.

"There were many discrepancies. I compared both tenders and found at least 15 issues, as detailed in my blog. I would like to highlight three or four of them," he said.

According to Siddhant, CBSE issued three separate tenders for the OSM project. He claimed the first was removed from the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal, while all bidders in the second tender failed the technical evaluation stage. The third tender was subsequently awarded to an education technology firm.

Among the issues highlighted, Siddhant pointed to changes in eligibility criteria between the tenders.

"The first discrepancy is that in the earlier tender there were three clauses relating to poor performance, under which the service provider would be disqualified. In the new Request for Proposal (RFP), those clauses were completely removed," he said.

He also alleged that amendments to provisions concerning blacklisting, financial qualification thresholds, Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) requirements and project experience criteria appeared to favour one provider over larger industry competitors, including Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).

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Explaining his interest in the matter, Siddhant said his research stemmed from discussions with ethical hacker Nisarg Adhikari.

"I was working with Nisarg Adhikari, who informed me about Coempt. That sparked my interest and led me to investigate further. I also collaborated with journalists, making it a collective effort. I discovered some information independently and published everything in my blog," he said.

Siddhant expressed hope that his findings would prompt greater transparency in public procurement processes.

"I am hopeful that CBSE will answer the questions I have raised. I hope the board ensures greater transparency in the tendering process. I also hope the Government of India strengthens transparency across procurement websites, making data easier to access and download. More journalists and media organisations should report on these issues," he said.

The student also commented on the wider implementation of the OSM system, which has faced criticism from some students and teachers over technical and evaluation-related concerns.

"I think OSM is a positive change and I do not oppose it. However, there should be wider roll-outs, proper pilot programmes and thorough testing before implementation. As several reports have pointed out, there were no extensive pilot projects. Any system should be implemented properly," he said.

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Siddhant welcomed the government's recent announcement that students will receive copies of their answer scripts alongside their marks from next year, describing it as a step towards greater accountability.

"This will improve transparency. It is a welcome change," he said.

Reflecting on his own experience during this year's examinations, Siddhant said he had encountered some issues but considered himself relatively fortunate.

"I was on the luckier side. Not all of my pages were blurred and, overall, it was manageable. However, I did notice marking and evaluation issues, which I intend to address through the re-evaluation process," he said.