Plus-Two on-screen marking: Controversial firm secured CBSE contract through dubious means; trial runs rife with errors

NEW DELHI: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is facing intense scrutiny over its decision to award a major digital evaluation contract to Co-Empte EduTech, a firm with a checkered past. Reports suggest the board bypassed standard protocols and ignored previous blacklisting records to clear the company for its on-screen marking project.

The Hyderabad-based tech firm was previously operating under the name Globarena. It gained notoriety in 2019 after its digital evaluation system failed spectacularly during the Telangana intermediate examinations, severely impacting thousands of students and leading to the company being blacklisted.

Investigations indicate the firm subsequently rebranded as Co-Empte EduTech, managed to sideline top-tier IT giants like TCS, and secured the lucrative CBSE contract. Sources allege that eligibility criteria, including mandatory financial turnover clauses, were intentionally relaxed to favour the firm. Furthermore, questions remain unanswered regarding the true ownership and ultimate beneficiaries of the company.

Alarmingly, initial trial runs conducted under the new contract reportedly yielded systemic errors. Despite these technical failures, the board proceeded with the partnership, risking the academic future of over 1.8 million students.

The development has triggered sharp political reactions. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi strongly criticised the central government, demanding accountability over how a previously blacklisted entity managed to secure a critical contract involving national-level examinations.