Former CBSE Chairman Rahul Singh is a 1996-batch IAS officer of the Bihar cadre. He was appointed Chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education in March 2024. He was born on August 15, 1971. He was recently removed from this position on June 2, 2026. Rahul Singh is an engineer with a B.Tech degree in Computer Science and a postgraduate degree in Public Policy and Management. Before becoming CBSE chief, he served as Additional Secretary in the Department of Personnel and Training.
It is reported that due to the major controversy surrounding the board’s digital evaluation system, the central government has transferred him to the position of Additional Secretary in the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. He assumed the position of CBSE Chairman on March 26, 2014. His term was until November 2027, but his tenure was cut short due to the controversy.
The on-screen marking system was implemented in the 2026 Class 12 board exams, which led to massive protests by students and parents across the country due to blurred digital scans, missing pages and massive irregularities in evaluation, following which Rahul Singh was removed from his post.
Major Works
- National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and NCF
He issued a CBSE circular setting a deadline for schools to introduce education in their mother tongue or regional language from pre-primary to grade 5, and effectively promoted the three-language learning rule at the school level. Under the NEP reforms, he played a significant role in developing a roadmap and structure for conducting board examinations twice a year.
- Digital Assessment and Examination Reforms 2026
His most notable work was implementing a digital evaluation system for checking Class 12 answer sheets. Implementing it without a pilot project led to technical glitches, leading to his removal from office. He also attempted to make the examination more transparent by making the subject-wise distribution of marks in the marking scheme more digital and accurate.
- Administrative and other duties
Before becoming CBSE Chairperson, she served as Additional Secretary in the Department of Personnel and Training, where she spearheaded technological reforms in training and career development programs for government officials. Following her appointment in June 2026, she now serves as Additional Secretary in the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, taking key policy decisions.