IAS Officer Mandeep K. Bhandari Appointed CBSE Chairperson

New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has appointed Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Mandeep K. Bhandari as its chairperson on Friday (September 25). The centre has also decided to upgrade the post temporarily to the rank and pay of an additional secretary, the Times of India has reported.

Bhandari, a 2001-batch IAS officer of the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories) cadre, is currently serving as principal secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).

Senior IAS officer Lokhande Prashant Sitaram had been holding additional charge of the post. He also held additional charge as chief executive officer of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board and was appointed principal secretary to the Lieutenant Governor on March 6, 2023.

Just two months ago, on July 2, Sitaram was appointed additional secretary in the Union Home Ministry while continuing to hold the additional charge as CBSE chairperson.

Bhandari’s appointment to the position comes at a time when the country’s largest education board is mired in multiple controversies, including digital evaluation and the implementation of educational reforms.

Hindustan Times points out that with Bhandari’s appointment, the board has got a third chairperson in four months following the controversy over its On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. Bhandari’s appointment as chairperson effectively brings the interim arrangement to an end.

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