CBSE Tender Changes Favoured Coempt Edutech: Class 12 Student Allegation

A major controversy has emerged over the tender process for the scanning and digital evaluation of answer scripts belonging to nearly 1.7 million CBSE students. Questions are being raised about how the company entrusted with the responsibility was selected, why the tender conditions were repeatedly modified, and how a firm that was once deemed ineligible eventually secured the contract.

The issue has gained nationwide attention after an in-depth investigation conducted by Sarthak Sidhant, a Class 12 student. His findings have sparked debate not only within educational circles but also among government officials.

For the 2025–26 academic year, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) introduced large-scale on-screen marking for the first time. Under this system, lakhs of answer sheets were scanned and evaluated digitally. The contract for this massive exercise was awarded to a private company. However, the tender process behind the selection is now facing intense scrutiny.

According to Sarthak’s research, the contract was ultimately awarded to Coempt Edutech, a company that was previously known as Globarena Technologies. The company had attracted significant attention during the controversial Telangana Intermediate results episode in 2019. Reports suggest that the company later underwent a name change and began operating as Coempt Edutech.

One of the most striking aspects of the case is that the tender was issued not once, but three times. The absence of records related to the first tender, the failure of all participating companies to meet technical qualifications in the second tender, and the eventual victory of Coempt after several conditions were altered in the third tender have all raised serious concerns.

CBSE has systematically rewritten its rulebook to favor Coempt Eduteck.

check out the blog. pic.twitter.com/CmdXMo8pMh

— Sarthak Sidhant (@sidhant_sarthak) May 29, 2026

Key Points in the CBSE Tender Controversy

Dispute over the tender for evaluating answer sheets of nearly 17 lakh students.

Contract awarded to Globarena Technologies (now Coempt Edutech), a company previously linked to the 2019 Telangana Intermediate results controversy.

CBSE reportedly issued the tender three separate times.

Allegations that Coempt secured the contract only after significant changes were made to the tender conditions during the final stage.

According to Sarthak’s analysis, several important provisions were revised between the second and third rounds of the tender process. He claims that conditions preventing previously blacklisted companies from participating were relaxed, software quality requirements were lowered, data center ownership requirements were removed, and experience-related eligibility criteria were modified.

The student further alleged that CBSE removed provisions that would have allowed the board to blacklist the company in the future if the system failed. He also claimed that mandatory accuracy standards for answer-sheet scanning were diluted. These changes have prompted questions about whether the revisions were designed to benefit a specific bidder.

Changes Allegedly Made to the Tender Rules

Removal of provisions disqualifying previously blacklisted companies.

Reduction of software quality requirements from CMMI Level 5 to CMMI Level 3.

Elimination of the mandatory requirement for an owned data center.

Permission for third-party cloud hosting services.

Relaxation of stringent scanning accuracy standards.

Removal of the mandatory CERT-In security audit requirement.

Shift from penalties for operational errors to penalties focused mainly on delays.

The controversy has gained further momentum following reports of cybersecurity vulnerabilities and instances of unauthorized access linked to the CBSE re-evaluation portal. These developments have raised additional concerns about whether adequate security testing was completed before the system was deployed, or whether key safeguards were overlooked.

Against this backdrop, several stakeholders are demanding a comprehensive investigation into the tender process. Calls have been made for an audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and for a discussion on the issue in Parliament. Given that the matter concerns the academic future of millions of students across the country, the allegations have attracted significant public attention.

Questions Being Raised

Why was there a need to modify the tender conditions?

Who benefited from the changes?

Why were security standards reportedly diluted?

Why are details of the first tender not publicly available?

What assurances exist regarding the safety and security of student data?

So far, neither CBSE nor Coempt Edutech has issued an official response to these allegations. However, the research conducted by a single student has triggered fresh questions about the procurement process followed by one of India’s largest educational boards. The focus now remains on whether authorities will provide answers and address the concerns surrounding the controversial tender.

Who is Coempt Eduteck, the Company at the Centre of the Controversy?

Coempt Eduteck, the company now at the centre of the controversy, was previously known as Globarena Technologies, a firm that came under scrutiny during the 2019 Telangana Intermediate examination fiasco. Following the controversy, the company was reportedly blacklisted, but later resurfaced under the new name, Coempt Eduteck.

Sidhant alleges that several tender provisions which could have potentially restricted the company's participation were either diluted, amended, or removed altogether during the process.

According to information available on the company's website, Coempt Eduteck is an education technology firm specializing in examination and assessment solutions for certificate-awarding bodies. Its portfolio includes digital platforms such as OneX, OnMark, EzyTest, and DigiTab, which are designed to facilitate various stages of the examination lifecycle, including test administration, evaluation, and assessment management.

This is an unbelievable piece of work by Sarthak and something that requires amplification.

Let me explain what he found, in simple terms.

Sarthak is a Class 12 student from the 2025-26 batch, one of the 17 lakh students whose answer sheets went through CBSE's new On-Screen… https://t.co/1wB5ZRx5qO

— Malay Krishna (@Malay4Product) May 29, 2026