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IAS officer Mandeep K Bhandari has been appointed CBSE Chairman months after the board faced an OSM controversy over technical glitches, and answer-sheet issues
News18
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) appointed IAS officer Mandeep K Bhandari as the new chairman on Friday. The appointment comes nearly four months after the CBSE faced intense scrutiny over its newly introduced On-Screen Marking (OSM) system for evaluating Class 12 answer sheets.
The controversy had triggered complaints from students, questions over the digital evaluation process and scrutiny of the system’s procurement and security arrangements.
According to the government order issued by the Department of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Bhandari, a 2001-batch AGMUT-cadre IAS officer, has been appointed as Chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education under the Ministry of Education. The order said the post has been temporarily upgraded to the rank and pay of an Additional Secretary to the Government of India.
The ACC order dated September 25 listed Bhandari among several senior-level appointments approved by the government. The document also records his appointment as Chairperson, CBSE, in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary.
Appointment Comes After CBSE’s OSM Controversy
Bhandari takes charge at a time when CBSE is still dealing with the fallout from the controversy surrounding its On-Screen Marking system.
The OSM system was introduced for the evaluation of Class 12 answer books in 2026 as part of the board’s move towards digital evaluation. Under the system, physical answer sheets were scanned and made available to evaluators for digital assessment.
At A Glance
IAS officer Mandeep K Bhandari was appointed as the new chairman of CBSE on Friday.
The appointment follows controversy over CBSE’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) system for Class 12 answer sheets.
Bhandari is a 2001-batch AGMUT-cadre IAS officer.
The post has been temporarily upgraded to the rank and pay of an Additional Secretary to the Government of India.
The OSM system was introduced for the evaluation of Class 12 answer books in 2026.
The CBSE had prepared teachers for the transition through mock exercises and issued instructions for the use of the new system. Its examination circulars show that the board began rolling out OSM-related preparations early in 2026, including digital evaluation instructions, teacher data collection and mock evaluation exercises.
However, the system came under criticism after students seeking access to their scanned answer books reported problems with the material available on the portal.
Some students reported receiving blurred scans, missing pages and, in some cases, answer sheets that they said did not belong to them. The payment system associated with accessing answer books also faced technical problems.
The problems became a major issue after the Class 12 results were declared and students began seeking access to their evaluated answer sheets.
Who Is Mandeep K Bhandari?
Bhandari is a 2001-batch IAS officer of the AGMUT cadre. Before the latest appointment, he had held senior administrative positions in Jammu and Kashmir and at the Centre.
According to his official profile, Bhandari is a medical graduate and holds an MBBS degree. He has served in several administrative positions during his career, including as Deputy Commissioner of Leh and Deputy Commissioner of Jammu.
He has also served as Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, and held senior responsibilities in the Jammu and Kashmir administration. At the Centre, he served as Private Secretary to the Union Human Resource Development Minister between January and September 2018. He subsequently worked as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Bhandari has also served as Chief Executive Officer of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board and held responsibilities in Jammu and Kashmir’s Health and Medical Education Department. His latest assignment moves him to the Ministry of Education and places him at the head of the country’s central school education board.
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Ask News18IAS officer Mandeep K Bhandari has been appointed as the new chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education under the Ministry of Education, with his post temporarily upgraded to the rank and pay of an Additional Secretary.
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Anushka Vats is a Sub-Editor at News18.com with a passion for storytelling and a curiosity that extends beyond the newsroom. She covers both national and international news. For more stories, you can …Read More
September 25, 2026, 20:57 IST
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